The Professor of Public International Law, Susana Sanz Caballero, together with Almudena del Castillo Santamaría,Zitan Peng Hao and Enrique Roger Belloch, as members of the research group on the crisis of the Rule of Law in the European Union at CEU Cardenal Herrera University, have published an article in The Conversation. The piece was prepared following the research seminar on disinformation, freedom of expression and the Rule of Law in Europe, recently held at the Palacio de Colomina (CEU Cardenal Herrera University) within the framework of the research projects led by Professor Susana Sanz Caballero on the crisis of the Rule of Law in Europe (PID2021-126765NB-100, funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities) and on democratic resilience in the face of hybrid threats (CIAICO/2024/191, funded by the Generalitat Valenciana).
Link to the article in The Conversation: ¿Podrá Europa llegar a frenar la desinformación? Estos son sus 5 retos más urgentes
Link with DOI to the article in The Conversation: https://doi.org/10.64628/AAO.56m63dmww
Link to the X post by Ciencia UCH CEU about the article: x.com/CienciaUCHCEU/status/2039641783022358747?s=20
The article titled “Will Europe be able to stop disinformation? These are its 5 most urgent challenges” analyzes some of the main challenges faced by the European Union in its fight against disinformation, an increasingly complex phenomenon that directly affects the functioning of democracies and the protection of the Rule of Law. The article also draws on valuable previous contributions by professors Leopoldo García Ruiz, Jaume Suau, Susana Sanz Caballero, Irene Roche, Carlos Espaliú Berdud, Marta Hernández Ruiz and Jorge Cardona Llorens, whose research has been essential for addressing several of the key issues examined.
The European Union is confronted with a complex challenge like combating disinformation in a digital environment that is increasingly opaque, fast‑paced and technologically sophisticated. The article shows how we are witnessing a structural transformation of the public sphere, marked by the emergence of artificial intelligence, algorithmic logic and the geopolitical instrumentalization of information.
Although disinformation is not a new phenomenon, it now occurs on a massive scale and is characterized by its speed and segmentation capacity through the use of technology. As the article notes: “Disinformation is considered a type of “hybrid threat”, a concept that is difficult to define and refers to the idea of a combined use of instruments of diverse nature (political, economic, cyber, etc.) with the aim of destabilizing a State by employing methods that often go unnoticed“. In this context, 5 main challenges arise:
- Massive growth of manipulated content
- Lack of neutrality and informational capture
- Privatization of content moderation
- Disinformation as hybrid warfare
- Citizen vulnerability and technological dependence
This is an area in which developments inevitably advance faster than regulatory capacity, reinforcing the need to join efforts to combat informational manipulation and demand greater transparency regarding the content users receive. Despite the European legislative initiative, disinformation remains a phenomenon that confronts us with new challenges and requires the development of a framework for reflection and regulation.
