Romania continues to face a major vulnerability to manipulation and disinformation campaigns, says President Nicușor Dan, in an interview given to an international publication.
He points out that the state currently lacks the necessary tools to respond quickly and effectively to online propaganda, but promises significant improvements over the next six months.
The statements come against the background of the intensification of false messages distributed on social networks, including those aimed at the presence of French troops deployed in Romania. The president admits that the institutions are not ready to act in the face of such coordinated campaigns.
Nicușor Dan exemplified the state’s lack of capacity through a recent episode in which false information, suggesting that he had signed an order to incorporate 200,000 people, quickly spread online.
“We have no real policy to defend against these disinformation and manipulation campaigns. For example, recently there was false information circulating that claimed that I had signed the order to incorporate 200,000 people into the military. But our institutions are not currently able to automatically detect a false information spread across multiple sites that would reach, say, 500,000 people, and respond accordingly.” he told Le Monde.
Regarding the campaigns targeting the French troops, the president states that the state does not have effective tools to counter the manipulations.
Ambitious plans for automated fake news detection systems
Nicusor Dan claims, however, that things are about to change. In the next six months, Romania would become able to identify and react automatically to false narratives, through technological systems dedicated to combating disinformation.
“I think we’ll be able to do that in the next six months,” stated Nicușor Dan.
Although he admits the lack of equipment and procedures, the president draws attention to a deeper difficulty: the low level of trust of citizens in institutions, a factor that encourages the spread of disinformation.
“But there is a very strong dissatisfaction with institutions in Romania, people are frustrated by corruption, which makes them more receptive to this type of misinformation”, explained Nicușor Dan.
