Fears of poll meddling by Russia prompt new ‘psychological defence’
Social media has made it easier for voters to be influenced, say officials from Sweden’s revived agencySocial media has made it easier for voters to be influenced, say officials from Sweden’s revived agencyA top official from Sweden’s new “psychological defence” agency said the country had decided to bring back the cold war-era government body amid fears overMagnus Hjort, deputy director of the agency, which was re-established last month to combat foreign disinformation, said concerns were...
The previous iteration of the agency was closed down in 2008, but much of it was dismantled years earlier after the end of the cold war. While the new agency has been in the making since 2016, Hjort said the latest Russia/Ukraine crisis has put Sweden on alert ahead of its elections. ‘Through social media you have better opportunities to influence people,’ says Magnus Hjort of Sweden’s ‘psychological defence’ agency.– which last year set up a similar agency to combat foreign disinformation and fake news – as examples, Hjort said: “Authoritarian states have for years been trying to influence elections. The difference today is that through social media you have better opportunities to influence people.
He added: “We have to have something to analyse, to identify this and to be able to counter it and that’s why we are now establishing a psychological defence agency in Sweden.” Social media, Hjort said, has dramatically changed the nature of psychological defence, making Sweden “more vulnerable”.
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