At the RADAR Public Debate co-hosted by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and TEPSA, we gathered 100 participants from 16 EU Member States and 9 non-EU countries to learn and share perspectives on the use of disinformation as a tool by malicious actors (such as Russia). Not only did attendees discuss the noxious impacts of disinformation on the public sphere, but they also explored the methods and techniques used to spread disinformation.

“The increasing complexity of the information ecosystem makes disinformation a security challenge. Especially social media channels offer malign actors unprecedented opportunities for information operations. How to protect democratic and open societies from the harmful effects of targeted disinformation campaigns is a question that requires a policy response both on the level of individual states and international organizations such as the EU and NATO. Three key questions arise from this: EU and NATO’s approaches to disinformation and how Finland’s NATO accession is likely to impact the information environment for the country; how media literacy can improve overall societal resilience and how young people are specifically targeted by disinformation; and finally, Russia’s strategies of using disinformation as a tool to influence target countries.”

As part of our follow-up to the RADAR Public Debate that took place in Helsinki on October 26, we polled attendees to gather their views. This is what they answered…