Threats of Foreign Interference Around the World

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple foreign states reportedly engaged in disinformation campaigns to divide the world on the efficacy of different vaccines and promote their own agendas.

Multiple state actors reportedly engaged in disinformation campaigns on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines to influence global vaccine adoption, while promoting vaccines from their own state.

Methods used included disinformation through social media, skewed narratives, fake research publications, and manipulated statistics.

Trust in public health was severely undermined in many countries, leading to increased vaccine hesitancy, and delays in pandemic recovery.

Through covert and deceptive means, foreign actors may try to undermine the sovereignty of another country to weaken public trust and cause fear. This has been reported to have taken place in Ukraine.

Foreign actors created disinformation campaigns which sought to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty, paint Ukrainians as neo-Nazis, and spread untruths about Ukraine committing genocide.

Methods used included inauthentic accounts on social media, political blogs and internet forums sponsored by foreign actors, and fabricated news reports by state-sponsored media of the foreign actors.

Fear and distrust were sowed in Ukrainians. Western support for Ukraine’s ongoing war efforts was weakened.

Foreign actors can weaken trust between citizens and the government, causing political instability and social unrest. According to reports, Moldova “faced an ‘unprecedented’ assault from outside interference”.

A disinformation campaign was conducted by foreign actors to destabilise Moldova’s domestic politics and oust its President.

False narratives were spread through mainstream media and social media platforms to discredit the government and stir anti-government sentiments among Moldovan citizens.

Political stability and public trust in democratic institutions were undermined. Internal divisions widened, leaving Moldova more vulnerable to outside influence.

To swing elections in their favour, foreign actors have used online campaigns to manipulate information and spread deception. This reportedly occurred in the lead-up to the 2024 French legislative elections.

In the run-up to its 2024 legislative elections, the French government revealed an information manipulation campaign by foreign actors that reportedly discredited a candidate who had taken positions critical of the foreign actor.

Methods used included articles on spoofed websites that criticised the targeted candidate; bots on social media that created posts which directed users to inauthentic sites; and cyberattacks against targeted candidate. 

French public opinion might have been swayed, on who to support in the elections.