By: Olivier Guerot
At the beginning of each year, it is customary to make a commitment: to things that we will try to do better or more – to do more sports, to meet with friends more often, to have better lifestyle hygiene, etc. I propose that we try to have better information and social media hygiene.
Because social networks, online videos, and other platforms where we spend a lot of time, where we relax and enjoy ourselves, are also spaces where we can be observed, deceived, or manipulated.
In 2026, let's be vigilant and critical: read, verify, and share more slowly for healthier information.
The fight against disinformation does not rely only on governments or platforms, but on our daily practices.
We shouldn't have doubts about everything, but cultivate digital hygiene, just as we take care of our physical health or food.
Attacks on information 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 scope and impact. A 2018 study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) showed that, on average, a piece of false information circulated six times faster than a piece of reliable information on Twitter. This phenomenon has not slowed down since then. Today, it is easier and less expensive than ever to develop sophisticated disinformation campaigns.
Information warfare is constantly using new techniques to weaken our democracies. The methods of operation are becoming increasingly complex, as has been highlighted by the French technical service for protection against foreign digital intrusions: a series of fake accounts or fake 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 disinformation actor, but it mobilizes resources incomparable to other countries. It is particularly targeting Europeans and France, extending its offensive in Ukraine into the digital space.
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 Action Service. In 2024, 152 information attacks were directed against France, mainly in the context of the Paris Olympics and legislative elections.
This is due to the density of France's foreign relations 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 use of force without limits.
Currently, a new important actor in information attacks has emerged from the United States: users and online accounts with large followings who target in a coordinated manner any voice considered dissonant. The current campaigns against so-called obstacles to freedom of information in Europe are a prime example. These attacks pose a concrete challenge to our democracies.
France's strategy against information manipulation
France has strengthened a response system to information manipulation: the creation of an open-source service (Viginum) to characterize foreign digital interference, especially during elections; strengthening the protection of military operations abroad; improving alert and response mechanisms, including the creation of a site called FrenchResponse on X.
France also supports media ecosystems and their resilience. The goal is threefold: improving the media environment; supporting the production of reliable information and networks of fact-checkers; strengthening media literacy. We support our 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 obliges platforms to equip themselves with tools to combat disinformation, especially in elections, and to be more transparent about their algorithms. France has denounced the US visa restrictions on European figures who worked on this law. The DSA was democratically adopted in Europe to make illegal online what is illegal offline. This European rule protects the rule of law, democratic debates 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 should not be determined outside Europe.
This opinion piece was written by the French Ambassador to Kosovo, Olivier Guerot, for the festive issue of Daily Time.