Foreign interference in democratic processes is part of a much larger toolbox used by authoritarian state actors, whether you call that toolbox political warfare, active measures or hybrid threats. Therefore, rather than taking a narrow view of foreign interference limited to elections, disinformation, political advertising, and funding of political parties, Defend Democracy urges the European…
Given the alarming implications for democracy and security of the take-over of Twitter by U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, Defend Democracy has sent an urgent letter to the Presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. The letter, sent to the European institutions on Sunday 30 October 2022, has been signed by…
In Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine and the West, how to share information responsibly? Press ‘play’ to learn this and more in Defend Democracy‘s first Twitter Space, hosted on Friday 25 February 2022. With speakers from: NATO, EUvsDisinfo, DFRLab, Human Rights Watch, Cognitive Security. Moderator: Alice Stollmeyer, Defend Democracy Find the do’s and don’ts on…
History is back. For freedom and democracy’s sake we’d better make sure to be ready, and to act together. When preparing this talk* I realised that, in a way, the year 2021 is kind of an anniversary, though not a happy one. But I will aim to end my talk on an optimistic note. In…
A values-based approach to new technologies Defending democracy from technological threats is a key pillar of our work. At Defend Democracy, we are very concerned about the myriad of — often unintended — side-effects of new and emerging technologies to our freedoms and fundamental rights. The pandemic has only accelerated these worrying developments, with our…
Defend Democracy and dozens of other European democracy and rights organisations express their concern about developments at the US Agency for Global Media. They urge US Congress’ foreign affairs committees to act urgently and decisively to maintain the fully nonpartisan, independent nature of USAGM’s journalism networks and open technology fund. “We are writing to you…
As a digital activist she learned to expose Russian disinformation.Now she launches a new project to defend democracy. As a leading EU influencer who works 24/7 at the frontline of geopolitics and digital advocacy, in 2014 Alice Stollmeyer witnessed first-hand the spread of trolls and bots. She didn’t need research to find them: they found…
With democracy hanging in the balance worldwide, an increasing number of people worry about their personal freedoms and rights. To give them a warm home where they can exchange about their hopes and fears, their plans and actions, Defend Democracy started organising monthly Democracy Drinks in Brussels (Belgium), the heart of the European Union. The…
On Wednesday 10 April 2019, Defend Democracy had the pleasure of organising a very special edition of its monthly Democracy Drinks: the European premiere of must-see documentary ‘Active Measures’ about Putin’s assault on democracy. The special screening took place at the European Parliament. Active Measures chronicles the most successful espionage operation in Russian history: the…
It may not look like war, but perhaps it should. Russia’s interference in American democracy proves that popular conception of the term needs to be updated – and failure to do so could increase U.S. susceptibility. By Patryk Babiracki Previously published in The Wilson Quarterly; republished on this page with kind permission of the author. “We…
