Misinformation, Jourová: Italy among the countries most affected by fake news on coronavirus

• Copasir's alarm: "Viral fake news on the coronavirus epidemic against our country"

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June 10, 2020 Italy is among the countries "most affected" by disinformation, in the Covid-19 pandemic. The vice-president of the European Commission Věra Jourová says this, presenting the communication on the fight against disinformation in a press videoconference in Brussels. "Yes - he replies to the reporters - Italy is among" the most affected countries, even if "I don't have solid data with me. But we must consider that disinformation flourishes on fear and, logically, the most affected countries are the easiest targets. . Italians have had to fight hard against the virus and disinformation plays with these factors, in the most affected and vulnerable societies ".   

Russia and China in the crosshairs

The main foreign actors of disinformation, said the vice president at the press conference, "are Russia and China, we have enough evidence to be able to make such a statement", adding that "fighting disinformation does not mean censoring the wrong information. responsible for the topic in question must have a proactive attitude and spread true facts, defend reliable information ".

Fake news and vaccine

Jourová predicted that, in relation to the pandemic, "there will also be a disinformation campaign on the vaccine", to which "the medical environment must also react", "the private sector will have to put its weapons on the line and use them" .

The vice president added that Google "has blocked and removed over 80 million coronavirus-related advertisements globally." The European Commission and High Representative Josep Borrell presented their initiatives to fight disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic in Brussels and proposed the way forward.

The responsibility of the platforms

The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, spoke on the subject a few hours earlier: "We are working with online platforms and we encourage them to strengthen their action against disinformation on the coronavirus. The platforms facilitate access to sources reliable, such as public health authorities, and demote or even remove harmful content and misleading advertising, but there is still more to be done. Social media - wrote President von der Leyen on social media - must share data with the community of fact checkers, so that together we can dismantle these dangerous rumors. ”

No cold war

"We are not starting any campaign against China, we have been working on disinformation for some time", this "also contained Chinese sources, but it is not about taking action against China. And I would not like to embark on a kind of cold war against China, yesterday in the long conversation with the

Chinese foreign minister I used these words: we do not want any cold war against China ", declared the high representative for foreign policy of the European Union, Josep Borrell.

The joint proposals

The communication is the result of evaluations started in March 2020 on a mandate from the Commission. The coronavirus pandemic has been accompanied by a massive wave of false or misleading information, including attempts by foreign actors to influence citizens and public debates in the EU, and the joint communication proposes concrete action that can be initiated in time quick. 

"Disinformation in the time of the coronavirus can kill - said Borrell - We have a duty to protect our citizens by making them aware of the spread of false information and denouncing those responsible for such practices". 

"To fight against disinformation - said Jourová - we must mobilize all stakeholders, from digital platforms to public authorities, and support fact-checkers and independent media. Despite having taken positive initiatives during the pandemic, digital platforms must intensify their efforts. Our actions are deeply rooted in fundamental rights, in particular freedom of expression and information ". 

#Disinformation waves have hit Europe during #Coronavirus.

They harm not only the health of our democracies, but also of our citizens.

To fight them, we need to mobilize all relevant players from fact-checkers, researchers to online platforms and authorities. # EUvsDisinfo pic.twitter.com/aTWV2SYXSz

- Věra Jourová (@VeraJourova) June 10, 2020