TIRANA, Nov 2 /ATA/ – Disinformation and foreign interference in the information space pose an increasing challenge to democracies, particularly amid advances in artificial intelligence and the growing influence of social media, French researcher David Colon has warned.
Colon, a political science lecturer and specialist in information manipulation, described Albania as being on the front line of the global information war, highlighting the risks such operations pose to public debate and democratic processes.
In a video recorded at the French Institute in Tirana, Colon outlined how foreign actors seek to influence public debate in other countries and stressed the importance of international cooperation in countering such interference.
“My name is David Colon. I am a lecturer and researcher in political science, the author of several books on the history of information and a specialist in combating information manipulation,” he said.
He described foreign information manipulation and interference as operations through which one state seeks to influence public debate in another, with the aim of shaping public perceptions and, in some cases, electoral processes.
Such tactics include the use of fake social media accounts, covertly paid influencers and agents of influence to promote specific narratives and distort public debate, he said.
“Foreign interference and manipulation pose a major challenge to civil societies today because of the use of artificial intelligence. This is what places Albania on the front line of this global information war,” Colon said.
He said the issue was particularly important as state actors sought to influence public debate in Albania and distort perceptions, potentially undermining the country’s prospects of joining the European Union in the coming years.
Colon stressed that international cooperation and greater EU involvement were essential to countering such operations.
“International cooperation and the involvement of the European Union are therefore more necessary than ever to combat these operations, expose them publicly whenever possible and strengthen the resilience of Albanian society against foreign interference,” he said.
He concluded by stressing that tackling information manipulation required the involvement of society as a whole.
“Combating information manipulation is everyone’s responsibility,” Colon said.
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