New inquiry: Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy
15 January 2025
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 comment
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry 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.
Further information
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