Information manipulations and influence operations can severely harm the integrity of electoral processes and distort the public discourse, thereby compromising the very essence of democratic life. If a sophisticated deepfake video, for instance, is pushed into virality through untransparent means in the run up to an election, voters may base their political choices on intentionally manipulated perceptions of reality and be deprived of their ability to form a free, well-informed opinion.

In the European Union, very large online platforms and search engines (VLOPSE) bear a distinct responsibility to assess and mitigate systemic risks that their services may pose to the integrity of electoral processes and public discourse. In particular, the Digital Services Act, in conjunction with the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, regulates those responsibilities.

To facilitate the mitigation of such risks, independent fact-checking and research organisations operating within the EDMO Network are investing considerable efforts in monitoring and analysing the information space during important national elections. Based on their work, EDMO can collect the references to the content distributed through VLOPSEs’ accounts and identified by partner organisations as disinformation to alert the platforms concerned on cases that may undermine the integrity of the information environment during electoral processes. However, it is the sole responsibility of the platforms concerned to decide on the appropriate course of action on a case-by-case basis, respecting freedom of speech, human rights and EU law.

The following table presents links to those alerts without prejudice to the platforms’ actions.