Countering misinformation in the EU: origins, evolution, and prospects

Vériter, S.L.

This dissertation explores the European Union’s response to the growing problem of
misinformation. It uses this case to critically analyse how societies interpret and govern
information challenges such as “fake news” and propaganda. It shows why such issues are
understood as security threats, discusses the consequences of that framing, and consider
alternative approaches better suited to the global and complex nature of information systems.
The thesis builds on 50 interviews with key stakeholders and over 400 documents to fully
retrace the development of EU misinformation policies since 2015. It focuses on three key
moments: (1) Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the resulting creation of the East StratCom
Task Force, (2) the COVID-19 pandemic and the strengthening of EU crisis response
mechanisms, and (3) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the EU to ban Russian
state-backed media RT and Sputnik. These milestones are...Show moreThis dissertation explores the European Union’s response to the growing problem of
misinformation. It uses this case to critically analyse how societies interpret and govern
information challenges such as “fake news” and propaganda. It shows why such issues are
understood as security threats, discusses the consequences of that framing, and consider
alternative approaches better suited to the global and complex nature of information systems.
The thesis builds on 50 interviews with key stakeholders and over 400 documents to fully
retrace the development of EU misinformation policies since 2015. It focuses on three key
moments: (1) Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the resulting creation of the East StratCom
Task Force, (2) the COVID-19 pandemic and the strengthening of EU crisis response
mechanisms, and (3) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the EU to ban Russian
state-backed media RT and Sputnik. These milestones are unpacked to explain how responses
were shaped, who influenced them, and what difficulties arose during their implementation.
Finally, drawing on the lessons from the EU case, the dissertation shares best practices and
new theoretical perspectives on “information disorders” and the governance of our information
space. It suggests using complexity science as a guiding framework to formulate responses that
tackle dangerous and malicious acts while respecting the freedoms of liberal democracies.Show less

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Countering misinformation in the EU: origins, evolution, and prospects