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14 documents from Global Disinformation Index
Digital sovereignty and Europe’s democracy stack: Delivering on the European Union’s priorities for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework
The report identifies 'Europe’s Democracy Stack' as a strategic public infrastructure consisting of independent organizations that perform nine critical public-interest functions, including disinformation research, digital rights litigation, and compliance monitoring. Despite its importance to the EU's digital sovereignty, the analysis finds that the stack is overwhelmingly dependent on non-EU funding—specifically US government and philanthropic sources—which is currently contracting. The authors argue that the EU's current short-term grant-based funding is structurally mismatched with the long-term nature of these functions. To close this capability gap, the paper proposes two primary reforms for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF): cost-neutral changes to the AgoraEU program to provide multiyear operating grants and the creation of a €1 billion European Democracy Stack Endowment Fund to provide a permanent funding anchor.
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Document type: Research paper
AI4TRUST: What building detection infrastructure tells us about the fight for information integrity
The AI4TRUST project, funded by Horizon Europe, developed a Toolbox and Monitoring Dashboard to detect manipulated content at scale. However, the project encountered significant obstacles in accessing data from Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), including rejections from X and Meta. The document argues that DSA Article 40 is failing because platforms unilaterally decide what constitutes 'systemic risk' research. It recommends reforming the DSA vetting process, integrating Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) into risk assessments, mandating infrastructure interoperability, and addressing algorithmic amplification incentives.
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Document type: Statement
Giving advertisers choice is free market capitalism, not censorship
Clare Melford of the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) defends the organization's practice of tracking risky online content and foreign propaganda to inform advertisers. She argues that providing this data enables a free market where advertisers can choose which content to subsidize, countering U.S. government claims that such work constitutes coercion and censorship. Melford also asserts that independent content quality assessments will be critical for the sustainable development of generative artificial intelligence. The document includes statements of support for GDI from European leaders and institutions condemning the U.S. visa bans.
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Document type: Statement
FIMI-ISAC Collective Findings I: Elections October 2024
The report identifies a dual-track narrative strategy: 'Type A' narratives that exploit societal vulnerabilities to sow discord (such as anti-immigrant and gendered disinformation), and 'Type B' narratives that erode trust in democratic institutions (including electoral fraud and anti-West rhetoric). It details the use of advanced Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) based on the DISARM framework, highlighting the role of AI-generated deepfakes, website cloning, and coordinated inauthentic behavior. The findings suggest that despite EU guidelines under the Digital Services Act, voluntary recommendations are insufficient to protect democratic processes from these evolving, often state-sponsored, threats.
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Document type: Report
Disinformation in the European Parliamentary Elections: Analysis and Policy Context
The briefing reports an uptick in election-related disinformation during the European Parliament elections, featuring claims of voter fraud and global conspiracy theories. While no substantial interference occurred and no party significantly benefited, the persistence of these narratives despite Digital Services Act (DSA) guidelines suggests a need for binding measures. The document highlights the role of foreign state actors, specifically Russian channels, in attempting to weaken public support for EU institutions and policies like aid to Ukraine.
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Document type: Briefing
Securing human rights means fixing the information ecosystem
The author contends that a polluted digital information environment undermines democracy, public trust in institutions, and social cohesion, thereby threatening basic human rights. The text highlights how disinformation fuels climate denial, electoral instability, and hate speech, while calling for a multinational approach involving governments, the UN, and the private sector to regulate harmful content without it being mischaracterized as censorship.
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Document type: Statement
Russian Invasion of Ukraine Narrative Report: Germany
The report identifies four primary categories of Russian disinformation in Germany: civilian targeting, escalation rhetoric, demoralisation, and conspiracies. These narratives aim to weaken German support for Ukraine, exacerbate societal divisions, and undermine the contemporary security order. While some narratives do not resonate with the majority of the population, the report warns that the adoption of conspiratorial talking points by members of the German Parliament and the convergence of Kremlin narratives with extremist movements like the Reichsbürger pose risks to civic integrity.
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Document type: Executive summary
Monetisation of Harmful and Manipulated Content in Germany and Europe
The report identifies a 'business of harm' in Germany where content creators use a cross-platform chain—Telegram for traffic, X for audience growth and revenue sharing, and websites for stable income via programmatic ads and merchandise—to profit from adversarial narratives. It argues that the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) fails to address these financial flows, leaving a regulatory blind spot that allows brands to inadvertently fund harmful content.
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Document type: Report
Deep Dive: European Elections
The document analyzes disinformation campaigns during the European Parliament elections, highlighting narratives that undermine civic integrity through claims of voter fraud and conspiracy theories. It details targeted attacks on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the framing of the Digital Services Act (DSA) as a tool for censorship. The brief also identifies Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), particularly from Russian state-owned media, aimed at weakening support for European democratic institutions and policies regarding Ukraine.
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Document type: Briefing
Understanding Climate Denial and Delayism in Canada
The report documents a sophisticated ecosystem of climate disinformation in Canada, where denial and delayism are used to delegitimise scientific consensus and policy. It identifies regional vulnerabilities, particularly in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and highlights how climate narratives are often blended with anti-feminist, anti-2SLGBTQIA+, and anti-immigrant tropes. The analysis details the roles of domestic media, influencers, and transnational linkages in amplifying claims that climate policy is an authoritarian tool of global elites.
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Document type: Report
GDI_Canada: Hate Speech and Bigotry_FINAL
The report documents a systemic and strategic environment of online hate in Canada, where marginalized groups—including Indigenous, Black, Asian, Muslim, Jewish, 2SLGBTQIA+, and women—are depicted as threats to national identity. It identifies a network of domestic actors, such as Rebel News and Jordan Peterson, and foreign state-linked entities from Russia, China, and India that amplify these narratives. Key findings highlight the use of 'reverse racism' tropes to oppose equity efforts, the persistence of colonial tropes against Indigenous peoples, and the weaponization of 'gender ideology' to target 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. The document also notes a dangerous feedback loop where online hate mirrors and accelerates real-world hate crimes, which have more than doubled since 2018.
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Document type: Report
Germany September 2024 Deep Dive
The document details a rise in political violence in Germany, noting 3,691 attacks against politically active individuals in 2023. It analyzes how disinformation narratives targeting political leaders, civic institutions, and immigrants are leveraged by domestic actors (such as the AfD and BSW) and foreign actors (primarily Russia via RT Deutsch and Pravda-DE) to destabilize the democratic system. The report highlights the role of 'mirror websites' and VPNs in bypassing sanctions on Russian media and notes that over 75% of adversarial content from analyzed domains relates to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
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Document type: Briefing
PUBLIC English/German Russian Invasion of Ukraine Narratives Report
The report analyzes how Russia-aligned actors use disinformation in Germany to discredit Ukraine, NATO, and the EU. It categorizes these narratives into four types: targeting civilians (such as 'denazification' and anti-refugee claims), demoralization (focused on energy security and sanctions), conspiracies (including bio-laboratories and QAnon), and escalatory rhetoric (regarding NATO encirclement and nuclear threats). The document highlights that Germany is a prime target due to its economic status and historical ties to Russia, and recommends ad-tech reforms and continued monitoring to counter these narratives.
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Document type: Report
State of Disinformation: Germany v.FINAL
The document analyzes Germany's disinformation environment, highlighting the role of domestic far-right actors and foreign influence from Russia, China, and Turkey. It examines the shift from the Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) to the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) and reports a persistent reach of disinformation websites, with 3.6 billion page views from Germany in 2024. Key narrative clusters include election denialism, anti-immigrant hate speech, and climate policy opposition, while foreign operations aim to polarize society and weaken support for Ukraine.
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Document type: Policy brief