The Foreign Affairs Committee has today launched a new inquiry into the
threat that disinformation campaigns pose to the UK and UK
interests.
Misinformation and disinformation campaigns are increasingly
weaponised by hostile state and non-state actors, and this
inquiry will seek to understand which actors are primarily
responsible, and which channels and technologies are being used.
It will seek to map motivations, sources and locations of the
most pressing disinformation threats to democracy, and to
understand the impact of artificial intelligence.
The inquiry will examine how the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office (FCDO) can work with allies and multilateral
organisations to combat the spread of disinformation that seeks
to undermine democratic values and institutions. The inquiry will
also ask how the Government can coordinate its
counter-disinformation work across departments and best work with
private organisations.
This inquiry will take a regional approach by examining
disinformation campaigns within Europe, the Americas, the
Indo-Pacific and Africa, to understand how the UK can better
counter disinformation from malign actors.
The deadline for submitting written evidence
is Monday 24 February 2025.
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame MP,
said:
“The extent to which malign actors – both state and non-state –
seek to utilise disinformation, has become increasingly evident
in recent years.
“Disinformation campaigns sow the seeds of discontent; they have
been weaponised to subvert free and fair elections, to undermine
the rules-based international order and to propagate anti-Western
narratives. Foreign malign actors have realised the power of the
media and social media in supporting their aims and
interests.
“These threats aren't just coming from hostile states, but also
non-state actors. Powerful figures such as Elon Musk exploit
their platform to spread disinformation that disrupts and
destabilises.
“We've seen social media algorithms shift to favour more
controversial and incendiary content, to increase platform
engagement to the detriment of furthering disinformation's reach.
As social media companies continue to navigate how best to
monitor content posted on their platforms, the recent move away
from third-party fact checking may also impact the proliferation
of disinformation.
“This inquiry will seek to determine what threats the UK faces
and from where the threats are emerging, mapping the methods and
motivations of those pushing disinformation
campaigns.
“The inquiry will ask what the Foreign Office should be doing to
combat disinformation. It will also examine how Government should
conduct cross-departmental work and work with private
organisations to address disinformation.”
The Committee welcomes written evidence on:
- What are the actual and perceived threats to the UK and UK
interests from state and non-state actor disinformation
campaigns?
- The effectiveness of cross-departmental and
inter-governmental coordination, alongside the private sector in
countering state-sponsored disinformation?
- What lessons can the UK learn from allies in countering
state-sponsored disinformation targeting democratic values and
institutions?
- What are the actual and perceived threats to Europe, the
Americas, Indo-Pacific and Africa from state-sponsored
disinformation campaigns targeting democratic values and
institutions?
- Who are the main state and non-state actors spreading
disinformation?
- What channels and technologies are state and non-state actors
using to spread disinformation?
- How effective has the FCDO been in working with allies, and
multilateral security organisations, to combat the spread of
state-sponsored disinformation in Europe, the Americas,
Indo-Pacific and Africa regions seeking to interfere with
democratic institutions and democratic values?
Each submission should be no longer than 3,000 words and contain
a brief introduction about the author. Submissions should be in
malleable format such as MS Word (not PDFs) with no use of
colour, logos or photos. Further guidance is available on our
Written Evidence
Guidance.
