The US has informed countries in Europe that it is stepping back from joint efforts to combat disinformation from countries such as Russia, China and Iran, according to three European officials familiar with the matter.
European countries received a notice from the state department last week that the US was terminating memoranda of understanding signed under Joe Biden’s administration, which sought to forge a unified approach to identifying and exposing malicious information spread by foreign governments seeking to sow chaos.
The move comes as Donald Trump’s administration has dismantled agencies across government that sought to protect the integrity of US elections and to combat foreign malign influence at home and abroad.
The memoranda were part of an initiative led by the Global Engagement Center, a state department agency that tackled disinformation spread overseas by US adversaries and terror groups.
James Rubin, who served as head of the centre until December, described the decision as a “unilateral act of disarmament” in the information war with Russia and China. “Information warfare is a reality of our time and artificial intelligence is only going to multiply the risks from that,” Rubin said.
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- FréquenceTous les jours
- Publiée13 octobre 2025 à 13:00 UTC
- Durée1 min
- Épisode3
- ClassificationTous publics