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

Abstract

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 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.