Abstract
From the 2014 referendum in the UK on Scottish independence, a number of political leaders in the West have accused the Russian government of industrial-scale organised disinformation, designed to undermine the democratic process. A number of allegations have also suggested that the Kremlin has been providing financial and other aid to far-right groups in the West to disrupt the political process. In this analysis, the case study of the UK is taken in the period 2014-20. An examination is taken of current research on the scale and effect of organised Russian disinformation strategies; and the emerging official narrative in the UK government about how to deal with the problem. This narrative reveals a complex interplay between defending democracy, while maintaining a “hands-off” approach and ensuring that tech business is welcomed.
Highlights
In November 2017, the incumbent British Prime Minister, Theresa May, issued a strongly-worded attack on Russia and its activities in spreading disinformation and fake news
The objective of this paper is to critically address two questions: what evidence exists to accuse Russia of such a comprehensive strategy of undermining the political order through disinformation? Subsequently, how is the UK government articulating its response to the problem of organised Russian disinformation?
The UK government’s emerging narrative on organised Russian disinformation is viewed through the lens of a set of documents and commentary produced by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee of Parliament (DCMS) on “Disinformation and ‘fake news’”, which resulted from a formal inquiry launched in January 2017
Summary
In November 2017, the incumbent British Prime Minister, Theresa May, issued a strongly-worded attack on Russia and its activities in spreading disinformation and fake news. Speaking at the Lord Mayor’s banquet in London, May accused Russia of a strategy to “weaponise information” in an effort to undermine the West. She said that Russia’s activities were “threatening the international order on which we all depend” (Mason, 2017). As the state-backed news agency, RT News reported on the occasion of Theresa May’s visit to Poland, “the British government is convinced that Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum, but has failed to produce any evidence to back up the claim” (RT News, 2017)
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