(OTTAWA) Allegations that Beijing is meddling in the Canadian election could be an opportunity to improve public understanding of disinformation, according to the European Union’s head of foreign interference in communications (EU). ).
Lutz Guellner, who leads the EU Foreign Office’s work on strategic communications, was in Ottawa last week as part of a collaboration with a G7 task force trying to counter threats to democracy.
Guellner says the Europeans are trying to educate people on how to spot misinformation, as well as regulating social media platforms and working with allies.
He points out that Canada is a key player in researching disinformation from countries trying to interfere in democracies. But according to him, Canadians could be better informed on how to spot fake news.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago, he says, there have been more and more fake stories that seem real and are being published with the aim of eroding people’s trust. people in the mainstream media.
He also says Russian embassies are using social media to spread misinformation to new audiences.