Romania’s government on Friday said it would launch a platform designed to flag up Russian disinformation in the media and social media.
The Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), the government, the broadcast watchdog, non-governmental groups will create an IT platform to scan online news for Russian propaganda.
Officials will monitor blogs and social media for ‘fake news’ about the Ukraine conflict that originates from Russia and its supporters.
Red lights or highlights will pop up when certain words or narratives appear, the government said.
Disinformation is part of a hybrid war that Russia has used with some success for several years in Europe and the U.S. It aims to confuse people and make them mistrust authorities and the mainstream media.
President Klaus Iohannis this week said a significant part of the war between Russia and Ukraine is being fought in the area of news and false information.
“As long as the war continues, we can expect any attempt to influence European economies through fake news,” Iohannis told journalists at the informal EU summit in Versailles.
Each ministry will appoint a representative from their public relations department to the platform. The group will create a database of narratives and keywords to be included in search engines.
The government said Friday it would separately work with civic groups and media experts to combat “disinformation and false news.”
A guide to Russian disinformation in Romania during the Ukraine conflict
