In 2026, let us be vigilant and critical: let us read, verify, and share more slowly for healthier information. The fight against disinformation does not rely only on governments or platforms, but on our everyday practices. We should not doubt everything, but cultivate digital hygiene, just as we care for our physical health or our food.
By Olivier GUEROT
At the beginning of every year, it is customary to make resolutions: things we will try to do better or more—exercise more, meet friends more often, adopt healthier lifestyles, and so on. I propose that we also strive for better information and social media hygiene.
Because social networks, online videos, and other platforms where we spend a lot of time—relaxing and enjoying ourselves—are also spaces where we can be watched, deceived, or manipulated. In 2026, let us be vigilant and critical: let us read, verify, and share more slowly for healthier information. The fight against disinformation does not depend only on governments or platforms, but on our daily habits. We should not doubt everything, but cultivate digital hygiene, just as we care for our physical health or nutrition. Information attacks are a key dimension of conflicts and international relations. Disinformation has become a weapon of war.
Information manipulation is not a new phenomenon, but it is becoming industrialized, as digitalization has profoundly transformed its reach and impact. A 2018 study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) showed that, on average, false information spread six times faster than reliable information on Twitter. This phenomenon has not slowed since then. Today, it is easier and less costly than ever to develop sophisticated disinformation campaigns.
Information warfare constantly uses new techniques to weaken our democracies. Methods are becoming increasingly complex, as highlighted by the French technical service for protection against foreign digital interference: a series of fake accounts or fraudulent websites, for example. The boundary between the digital world and reality has disappeared. When a rumor circulates online, it can turn into hostile protests or violence. Russia is not the only actor of disinformation, but it mobilizes resources unmatched by other countries. It particularly targets Europeans and France, extending into the digital sphere its offensive in Ukraine.
France is a major target of foreign digital manipulation and interference. It is the second most targeted country in Europe after Ukraine, according to a report by the European External Action Service. In 2024, 152 information attacks were directed against France, mainly in the context of the Paris Olympic Games and legislative elections. This is linked to France’s dense international ties and its continued support for an international order based on law. Its competitors attack France because it opposes the brutalization of international relations and rejects the unlimited use of force.
Currently, a new significant actor in information attacks has emerged from the United States: online users and accounts with large followings that coordinate to target any voice considered dissonant. Current campaigns against so-called restrictions on freedom of information in Europe are a prime example. These attacks present a concrete challenge to our democracies.
France has strengthened a response system against information manipulation: the creation of an open-source intelligence service (Viginum) to characterize foreign digital interference, especially during elections; reinforcement of protection for military operations abroad; improvement of alert and response mechanisms, including the creation of a page called FrenchResponse on X. France also supports media ecosystems and their resilience. The objective is threefold: improving the media environment; supporting the production of reliable information and networks of fact-checkers; and strengthening media literacy. We support trusted partners in Kosovo as well as in other countries. We must also oversee the regulation of platforms. During the French presidency of the European Union in 2021, France coordinated the adoption of the Digital Services Act (DSA). This law requires platforms to equip themselves with tools to combat disinformation—especially during elections—and to be more transparent about their algorithms. France has denounced U.S. visa restrictions against European figures who worked on this law. The DSA was democratically adopted in Europe to make illegal online what is illegal offline.
This European regulation protects the rule of law, democratic debate, and citizens’ rights. It has no extraterritorial effect and does not target any specific country or company. The rules that apply in the European digital space must not be determined outside Europe. (koha.net)
(The author is the Ambassador of France to Kosovo)