On Wednesday 15 May, a European source explained to a group of journalists, including Agence Europe, that if there were a risk of manipulation of information in the run-up to the European elections from 6 to 9 June 2024, the ballot should be secure.
“We see that there is a risk (...), but I want to be very clear that we do not assume at least from indicators that we have today that there is such a massive manipulation campaign to be expected that these elections will be manipulated,” explained this source. And furthermore: “We can not come to the conclusion that elections will be manipulated. They are safe and protected”. In recent years, the EU has put in place a number of instruments to limit the manipulation of information and foreign interference.
However, a number of threats have been identified, including direct interference with parties, candidates and programmes, and indirect interference with election-related issues, including misleading voters to avoid voting.
According to the source, information is never created from scratch, but uses an existing debate in society and reinforces a specific voice in order to increase tension and sow mistrust.
“We are seeing an increase in the quantity, but also in the quality” of the manipulation of information, said this source, pointing in particular to cheap artificial intelligence, which enables information to be produced in large quantities. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)