‘Democracy is for people, about people and with people’; These words said by European Commissioner Michael McGrath sum up his discussion with the university community at Luiss Guido Carli in Rome. His two day visit to the Italian capital, focused on protecting democracy and the freedom of the press, among other important topics.
The commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and consumer protection has met with various Italian officials notably, he met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his time in the city.
This trip follows the recent publication of the European Democratic Shield which sets out a range of concrete measures to protect democracy in the EU from disinformation campaigns and other digital threats. Safeguarding democracy in the digital age is one of McGrath’s key objectives and it was the topic of discussion in Luiss today as he addressed the School of Journalism.
The pressures faced by European democracy cannot be understated. These threats can often be strategic and targeted by authoritarian governments as ‘our free societies are a threat to their oppressive regimes’, according to McGrath. Further on this he spoke about how a particular threat for Europe is Putin’s Russia. He discussed the case of sophisticated and ‘coordinated campaigns of information manipulation’ in Romanian elections last year which were identified as originating from Russia. This identification, aided by the EU was able to mitigate the effects of the disinformation campaign and resulted in the annulment of the elections. This demonstrates the dangers of online threats and the importance of combatting them.
Much of the dangers posed to democracy are digital in nature such as how algorithms can manipulate how citizens discuss and debate topics and engage with institutions. McGrath pointed to a Eurobarometer statistic showing that two thirds of young people aged 18-24 get their news from social media, so the impact of the digital age cannot be understated. This exposes how vulnerable we really are to manipulation and interference.
Large democratic institutions are under threat but McGrath was sure to highlight the personal importance of democracy. In response to his question to the public about what democracy means to them, Andrea Charur, a student of the school of Journalism at Luiss, stated that democracy was about ‘the power of the people to decide who is in positions of power’. She also highlighted how easily it could be put in jeopardy. In response to this, McGrath pointed to the importance of independent institutions and ‘the need for checks and balances’. This echoes the personal impact of democracy and recalls its foundations. Giving power to the people important and having accountability for these leaders is essential.
The unveiling of Europe’s Democratic Shield is essential to protecting institutions and the information space from manipulation campaigns. This will aid countries to combat disinformation, interference in elections and help to protect journalists. This a very pressing issue in the contemporary political sphere. Nefarious attacks on elections are nothing new, but the speed and sophistication of online attacks are unprecedented. The Commissioner used the example of a deep-fake video which came out two days ahead of the Irish presidential election. In the fake video, one of the candidates dropped out of the race and ceded to the opposing candidate. The convincing video which circulated rapidly online was eventually taken down and discredited but it highlighted how vulnerable society at large is to such threats.
Democracy has long been under attack by foreign powers and malicious actors alike. Now more than ever, the threat comes from behind a computer screen. Furthermore, with no smoking gun, it is becoming ever more difficult to identify and combat the threats to democracy. The plan laid out by Commissioner McGrath is an important step on the way to safeguarding European democracy and protecting the freedom of the media and society at large.
