Check against delivery - Speech by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta, dear Ian, Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends,

Nearly 2000 years ago in ancient Rome, Octavian — who was to become the Emperor Augustus — began a campaign against his rival, Mark Antony.

The campaign included short, defamatory statements, imprinted on coins.

Fifteen centuries later, in Renaissance Italy, Machiavelli advised rulers to appear virtuous while at the same time using deception to maintain power.

And in mid-18^th century Britain, during the Jacobite rebellion, it was reported that King George II was gravely ill — with reputable reporters picking up the fake news and republishing it for distribution to the public.

As you can see — fake news is not new.

Disinformation — or perhaps one should simply call it “lies” — is probably as old as human history.

What has changed is the speed at which those lies travel — and the methods used, which make it so very difficult for all of us to discern what is real and what is not.

When the writer Jonathan Swift said in 1710 that “Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after,” he could not have dreamed that three centuries later, falsehood’s astonishing flight would see it appear instantly on a screen on the opposite side of the world.

Perhaps he would have been astonished, too, by the magnitude of the problem — the sheer scale of its assault on the world – on all of us.

The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risks Report identifies disinformation and misinformation as the most severe global risks over the next two years — ahead of war, extreme weather, or pollution.

Disinformation can undermine democratic elections, promote social unrest, and increase censorship through counter-disinformation measures. 

And the global outlook for democracy is disheartening, to say the least.

Political extremism, polarisation and distrust have been on the rise even in long-established liberal democracies.

According to a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., Darrell M. West, “We have to understand how changes in the contemporary political environment make people want to believe negative information about the opposition.”

He goes on: “in a highly polarised world, where people are divided into competing political tribes, millions admit they themselves have intentionally spread information they know to be false. If that continues, it will lead to disaster for our country’s politics and governance.”

Yes, the spread of misinformation and disinformation has a huge impact, which sometimes even goes to the inner core of a democracy — elections.

Free and fair elections are fundamental to any representative democracy.

But when elections are manipulated or distorted, the very fine fabric of our democracy is ultimately destroyed.

Last year, voters across some eighty countries, home to an estimated four billion people — roughly half of the world’s population — headed to the polls. 

According to a recent report by Freedom House, “censorship and content manipulation undermined voters’ ability to make informed decisions in elections around the world over the past year, and people in a growing number of countries faced retaliation for their online expression. Both factors were major contributors to the 14th consecutive year of decline in global internet freedom.” 

And according to an analysis of 2024 elections by The Financial Times, “the results show widespread anger and frustration at incumbents, and growing support for populists on the left and right.”

One of those 2024 elections was to choose the Moldovan president.

Although she won the election, President Sandu has estimated that Russia spent the equivalent of 1 percent of Moldova’s GDP interfering in the process.

Such interference has continued unabated in this year’s Moldovan parliamentary elections, which will take place at the end of this month.

Moldovan officials have accused Moscow of using tactics including a complex vote-buying system via the messaging app Telegram, and of using priests to spread the message that joining the EU would mean a loss of family values and national identity.

Deep-fake videos, including many targeting President Sandu herself, have proliferated.

Speaking in the European Parliament last week, President Sandu said: “The Kremlin's goal is clear, to capture Moldova through the ballot box, to use it against Ukraine and to turn us into a launch pad for hybrid attacks in the European Union."

“Moldova may be the testing ground. But Europe is the target,” she added.

She concluded by saying that:

“Europe has endured – by adapting, rebuilding and turning fragility into strength. By protecting fragile democracies until they grew strong. The only way forward is to defend our democracies with teeth – and to defend them together.”

But how do we defend democracy against the tsunami of disinformation that floods all forms of media every day?

How do we give truth the wings it needs to fly and supply Europe with the teeth it needs to defend itself?

First, let’s look at Artificial Intelligence, which is making fake information harder to detect and is targeting individuals with tailored content.

Yes — it is an incredibly powerful tool.

But, of course it can be used positively.

AI can help detect disinformation and enhance fact-checking efforts.

We must therefore use AI as a weapon against the spread of malicious disinformation.

Another thorn in the side of truth is the worldwide assault on press freedom.

Journalists attempting to report the truth are facing increasing threats, including physical assaults, legal challenges, and online harassment.

So safeguarding journalists and upholding press freedom are essential for ensuring the dissemination of accurate information.

Addressing the rising number of press freedom violations is critical to maintaining free and informed societies within strong, resilient democracies.

Education is another weapon in our armoury.

We must enhance media literacy, by providing education that focuses on critical thinking and the ability to assess sources of information.

Given that a significant portion of the population struggles to distinguish between true and false information, empowering individuals with these skills is paramount.

We should also encourage and support groups of users who raise the alarm when they see lies, fake news and disinformation on the net.

And formal fact-checking organisations, too, play a crucial role.

These groups often follow standards set by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).

The code has so far been signed by 35 organisations from 27 countries.

Major news outlets like Reuters and the BBC have started their own fact-checking sections where journalists show how they verify information.

Holding social media companies accountable for the content shared on their platforms can also help reduce the spread of disinformation.

Investigations into platforms from TikTok to X underscore the need for stringent oversight to preserve electoral integrity.  

So stronger and smarter laws are needed, as well as better oversight of social media platforms.

Disinformation and falsification have already done tremendous damage to political processes in many parts of Europe, and indeed the world.

But the same technology can also do much good.

It can be a key tool for uniting communities, disseminating valuable information and providing a platform from which minorities may speak out.

Dear friends,

We can no more stop the tide of disinformation than we can stop the tide itself.

The pervasive nature of disinformation poses a formidable challenge to our democratic societies.

Fake news goes viral far more quickly than any virus ever did.

But we can counter lies with facts, with law, and with education.

By understanding the scope of disinformation, acknowledging its impact, and implementing strategic measures — to which I am sure this conference will contribute — we can build resilience to disinformation.​

We can provide Europe with the teeth it needs to defend democracy.

And we must.

There is so much at stake.

Thank you.