And will the EU take action against the internal disinformation agent?

The European Commission plans to launch a center to protect democracies from campaigns by regimes like Russia and China, which seek to destabilize them with disinformation and other digital dirty tricks. That's all well and good, of course, but at the same time I fear that this appeal to an external enemy will end up serving as a smokescreen to avoid addressing a much larger problem, in my opinion: the information manipulation practiced within the EU. This is a real thorn in the side of the cat that EU politicians don't dare bell. It's much easier to point the finger outward. But, without wishing to belittle the efforts of China or Russia to push for their interests, the great social change that is leading Europe and half the world toward neo-authoritarian and xenophobic positions has been born from pseudo-media outlets firmly entrenched in consolidated democracies.

Last week, for example, I was reading in the Guardian The far-right television channel GB News frequently broadcasts harmful claims contrary to scientific evidence without the country's broadcasting authority, Ofcom, even issuing a warning. Presenters and contributors spout absurdities, such as the government's plan to make veganism mandatory, yet no one lifts a finger to stir up emotional reactions with false narratives. This passivity has a simple explanation: they don't want to open Pandora's box by admonishing media outlets that will play the victim card, accusing the government of censorship. And it is certainly problematic for the state to become the arbiter of truth, because we already know the downward spiral that can occur if a corrupt government gets its hands on this prerogative. Let's keep up the democratic safeguards, but let's not forget that, in too many cases, the enemy is within, wearing slippers and sitting on the sofa.