Russian disinformation: Austria's democracy in danger!

Russian disinformation: Austria's democracy in danger!

Österreich - The Directorate State Protection and Intelligence (DSN) has uncovered a comprehensive Russian disinformation campaign in Austria. As Kleine Zeitung , a Bulgarian citizen is suspected, spied on the implementation of this disinformation surgery. have.

The main goal of this campaign was to influence public and political opinion in Austria, especially to the detriment of Ukraine and in favor of Russia. State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried (SPÖ) was concerned about the spread of false narrative and fake news, which can undermine the trust in institutions and endanger social cohesion. He emphasized that opinion formation in Austria should not be under the influence of foreign actors.

dangers of disinformation

disinformation can have far -reaching consequences. It is able to influence elections, bring about political instability and thus endanger democratic society. In this context, the risks of Deepfkes are also pointed out, about the bpb.de . These technologies enable a new quality of political manipulation and accelerate the spread of disinformation.

Deepfakes, which are mostly used in a political context, can greatly undermine trust in the media and joint facts. Although trust in audio-visual media is still high, Deepfakes are a significant threat. They can not only discredit political opponents, but also weaken social cohesion. Historically related media manipulation receives different access through the new possibilities of technology.

global examples and their influence

The debate about the dangers of Deepfakes has gained in explosive incidents in different countries. For example, during the US presidential campaigns 2020 and 2024, Audio-Deeppakes were used in robocalls. Similar manipulations also took place in Argentina and Slovakia. A Deepfake porn was particularly significant, which led to the withdrawal of a politician in the Turkish presidential election campaign in 2023.

Despite the fact that so far no single deep pake had a decisive influence on elections, the cumulative effects damage trust in political communication. Targeted attacks on political opponents outside of election periods are often, as counterfeits by Donald Trump and Joe Biden show.

The use of deeppake also extends to (war) propaganda and foreign influence. Examples such as the pro-Chinese network and Russian disinformation campaigns illustrate the dimension of this problem. A Deepfake video by Selenskyj, which called for surrender in the Ukraine conflict, shows the dangers that are associated with such technologies.

In summary, it can be said that the disinformation campaign in Austria cannot be viewed in isolation. It is part of a much bigger problem that intervenes deeply in the structures of democratic societies and endangers cohesion and trust in institutions.