Disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference are a serious threat to societies. They can undermine democratic institutions and processes (such as elections) by preventing people from making informed decisions or discouraging them from voting. And they can polarise societies by pitting communities against each other.New technologies have made it possible for hostile actors to spread disinformation and to manipulate information at a scale and with a speed never seen before.Therefore, tackling disinformation and information manipulation is one of the most pressing issues for the European Union and its Member States. 82% of Europeans agree that the existence of news or information that misrepresents reality, or is even false, is a problem for democracy77% of Europeans agree that existence of news or information that misrepresents reality, or is even false, is a problem in their country Source: Standard Eurobarometer 102 - Autumn 2024 In focus Protect yourself from disinformation Disinformation actors use a variety of techniques to deceive and manipulate people online. This can range from clones of legitimate websites to cleverly manipulated audio or videos (known as 'deepfakes', often created using artificial intelligence), designed to appeal to our emotions and cloud our judgment.The European Commission, together with its partners, has made available some tips and resources to help you safely navigate the online landscape and spot disinformation more easily.Discover these tips and resources How is the European Commission responding? The Commission is strengthening its strategic communication in response to disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference targeting EU policies. This requires a whole-of-society approach, as many sectors of societies have an important role to play in preventing and countering disinformation. Beyond this response, it is important to ensure that citizens have access to quality news and information they can trust.The Commission's response to disinformation is centred around:Developing policies to strengthen European democracies, making it more difficult for disinformation actors to misuse online platforms, and protecting journalists and media pluralismCountering foreign interference and cyberattacks through awareness-raising projects, advanced technological solutions, and improved coordinationBuilding societal resilience against disinformation through media literacy and awareness raisingCooperating with institutions, national authorities, civil society and other organisations Main fields of action Increasing the resilience of our democraciesPromoting free and fair elections, protecting public debate and countering disinformation through the Democracy Action Plan and Defence of Democracy PackageStrengthening online platforms' responsibilityEnsuring that platforms take responsibility in countering disinformation, thanks to the Digital Services Act, the Code of Practice on Disinformation, the AI Act, and the Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertisingProtecting journalists and media pluralismUpholding media pluralism and independence in the EU through the Media Freedom Act and legislation that protects journalists from strategic lawsuits against public participation (anti-SLAPPs)Countering foreign interference and cyberattacksExposing foreign interference tactics, countering Russia’s systemic information manipulation and ensuring preparedness in case of cyberattacksBuilding societal resilience against disinformationEnabling citizens to navigate the modern news environment, raising awareness about disinformation tactics, providing guidance for tackling disinformation through education and helping teachers and young people recognise and stop itCooperating with fact-checkers, civil society, media and academiaSupporting Europe's independent fact-checking communities, ensuring public access to fact-checked and trust-worthy data and information, and providing funding for civil society groups working to counter disinformation News 13 February 2025Commission endorses the integration of the voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation into the Digital Services Act13 February 2025The Code of Conduct on Disinformation11 February 2025Together for a better internet6 January 2025€3 million EU funding for a European media freedom festivalSee all Providing information you can trust Accurate and reliable information is vital in the fight against disinformation. To help citizens distinguish fact from fiction, the Commission has made available a selection of resources on topics that are frequently targeted by disinformation actors. Dispelling myths about novel foodsProviding clear and trustworthy information about EU rules on insect-derived foodInformation about the EU-Mercosur partnership agreementFind out more about how the agreement will benefit European citizens and companies, including by boosting trade, upholding EU standards, and protecting over 350 EU products, while committing to sustainability5 facts about electric carsAddressing some common myths about the EU’s zero emissions cars policyDiscover more of these resources Timeline of EU actions against disinformation February 2025The Commission and the European Board for Digital Services endorses the official integration of the voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation into the framework of the Digital Services Act (DSA), making the Code a benchmark for determining platforms' compliance with the DSAJanuary 2025The revised Code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online + is integrated into the Digital Services ActAugust 2024The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act enters into forceMay 2024The European Media Freedom Act and new rules against abusive lawsuits against public participation (anti-SLAPPs) enter into forceApril 2024The Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising enters into forceMarch 2024The Commission publishes guidelines under the Digital Services Act for Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines to mitigate risks online that may impact the integrity of elections, with specific guidance for the European Parliament elections in June 2024March 2024A new Cybersecurity compendium on how to protect integrity of elections is publishedDecember 2023The Commission adopts the Defence of Democracy Package ahead of the 2024 European electionsOctober 2023The Commission publishes a call for proposals to support EU fact-checkers in identifying and debunking disinformationOctober 2022The Commission publishes guidelines for teachers and educators in primary and secondary schools on how to address disinformation and promote digital literacy in their classroomsSeptember 2022The Commission presents a proposal for the European Media Freedom ActJune 2022A strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation is signed by major online platforms, emerging and specialised platforms, players in the advertising industry, fact-checkers, research and civil society organisationsNovember 2021The Commission presents a proposal for new laws on transparency and targeting of political advertisingDecember 2020The Commission presents a proposal for the Digital Services ActDecember 2020The Commission establishes its European Democracy Action PlanJune 2020The European Digital Media Observatory is launchedMarch 2019The European External Action Service (EEAS) launches its Rapid Alert SystemDecember 2018The Commission and the High Representative establish an Action plan against disinformation September 2018The first Code of Practice against Disinformation is establishedSeptember 2018The Commission publishes a Communication on securing free and fair European elections April 2018The Commission publishes a Communication on tackling online disinformationApril 2016A Joint Framework on countering hybrid threats is adopted to counter hostile actions designed to destabilise a region or a stateShow 19 more itemsJanuary 2015Launch of the EEAS East StratCom Task Force to address Russian disinformation campaigns Documents 11 JUNE 2024Tackling disinformation and information manipulation – Factsheet Related links Commission resources DG CNECT – Tackling online disinformationDG CNECT – Media literacyDG CLIMA – Climate disinformationDG JUST – Democracy and electoral rightsDG JUST – European cooperation network on electionsDG EAC – Tutorial on media literacy ahead of 2024 European electionsVideo campaign – Raising awareness of disinformation ahead of the 2024 EU elections External resources European ParliamentEuropean External Action ServiceEuropean Digital Media Observatory European Fact-Checking Standards NetworkOECD DIS/MIS Resource Hub
Protect yourself from disinformation Disinformation actors use a variety of techniques to deceive and manipulate people online. This can range from clones of legitimate websites to cleverly manipulated audio or videos (known as 'deepfakes', often created using artificial intelligence), designed to appeal to our emotions and cloud our judgment.The European Commission, together with its partners, has made available some tips and resources to help you safely navigate the online landscape and spot disinformation more easily.Discover these tips and resources
Increasing the resilience of our democraciesPromoting free and fair elections, protecting public debate and countering disinformation through the Democracy Action Plan and Defence of Democracy Package
Strengthening online platforms' responsibilityEnsuring that platforms take responsibility in countering disinformation, thanks to the Digital Services Act, the Code of Practice on Disinformation, the AI Act, and the Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising
Protecting journalists and media pluralismUpholding media pluralism and independence in the EU through the Media Freedom Act and legislation that protects journalists from strategic lawsuits against public participation (anti-SLAPPs)
Countering foreign interference and cyberattacksExposing foreign interference tactics, countering Russia’s systemic information manipulation and ensuring preparedness in case of cyberattacks
Building societal resilience against disinformationEnabling citizens to navigate the modern news environment, raising awareness about disinformation tactics, providing guidance for tackling disinformation through education and helping teachers and young people recognise and stop it
Cooperating with fact-checkers, civil society, media and academiaSupporting Europe's independent fact-checking communities, ensuring public access to fact-checked and trust-worthy data and information, and providing funding for civil society groups working to counter disinformation
13 February 2025Commission endorses the integration of the voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation into the Digital Services Act
Dispelling myths about novel foodsProviding clear and trustworthy information about EU rules on insect-derived food
Information about the EU-Mercosur partnership agreementFind out more about how the agreement will benefit European citizens and companies, including by boosting trade, upholding EU standards, and protecting over 350 EU products, while committing to sustainability
