The Republic of Moldova made an international call to large IT companies to protect democracy and fight disinformation. The open letter was signed by eight Prime Minsters - of the Republic of Moldova, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Poland, IPN reports.
Spokesman for the Government Daniel Vodă said that this initiative was launched because the countries situated in the vicinity of the Republic of Moldova are confronted by an information war following the consequences of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. “The call is made in the context of the participation by the Republic of Moldova in the second Summit for Democracy that is hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden and in which President Maia Sandu will deliver a national speech,” stated Daniel Vodă.
The letter addressed to the international companies calls on these to be more vigilant, not to allow to be used as means for promoting evil objectives by different third parties. The signatories of the letter – the Prime Ministers of the eight countries – underline the importance of cooperating with a large number of stakeholders, such as governments, civil society, experts and the academic community, for ensuring societies’ efficient response to disinformation.
“The document notes that the governments of these states ascertained that disinformation is aimed at destabilizing the mentioned countries, at weakening democracies in general and at thwarting the transformation and modernization processes on the European path in the case of the countries that want to become EU members, such as the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine,” said Daniel Vodă.
To solve the enumerated problems, the open letter suggests a number of actions, such as using algorithms that give priority to the accuracy and authenticity of distributed information, pursuing policies to better moderate content and adopting stricter rules concerning content paid by verified users. “It is a call for action as manipulation and foreign malign influence, including through disinformation campaigns, represent a threat to democracy and national security,” noted the Government’s spokesman.
