A round table discussion with the topic “Beyond Disinformation” was conducted on 10 March 2023 in the office of the European Union (EU) in Port Louis. This round table discussion was organised with the goal of addressing dangers posed by foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), such as misinformation, as well as encouraging cyber-resilience and cybersecurity in partner countries. A team of two experts from the European External Action Service and the Cybersecurity for Development Programme are currently in Mauritius to support the training on disinformation.

Ambassador Degert elaborated on the problem of disinformation in democratic societies and how EU is tackling false or misleading content that is spread with an intention to deceive people and may cause public harm, through initiatives includes the European External Action Service which has established a specific unit – the Strategic Communication, Task Forces and Information Analysis Division.

He emphasized that in order to combat disinformation, the information ecosystem would need to undergo structural changes with regulations to better regulate the choices and actions of information platforms while preserving the freedom and ideals of democratic countries. To support the aforementioned, Mr. Degert stated, “Disinformation is a whole-of-society problem, so the response has to be based on a whole-of-society approach.”

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