US senator asks the Meta and Google platforms to combat disinformation from the Republic of Moldova
US Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, sent letters to Mark Zuckerberg (Meta) and Sundar Pichai (Alphabet/Google), asking them to allocate more resources to fight disinformation in the Republic of Moldova, in the context of the upcoming constitutional referendum of October 20. The US warns that foreign disinformation could influence the results of the October 20 presidential election and constitutional referendum.
In the letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Cardin emphasized the importance of protecting the democratic process in Moldova: "The gravity of this decision for the Moldovan people puts a responsibility on the shoulders of Moldova's partners and on those who manage the information space in this country, to prevent malignant foreign influences from interfere in one of the most important decisions that Moldovans will ever make". He mentioned that the organization WatchDog.MD identified cases in which the Moldovan oligarch Ilan Şor, sanctioned by the US, EU, Great Britain and Canada, invested heavily in advertising on Facebook to spread fake information. According to the data, he has spent more than $400,000 since his sanction in October 2022.
Also, in the letter to Sundar Pichai, Cardin cited a recent assessment by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), which described Russian malign influence on social media platforms in the Republic of Moldova as "the greatest threat to electoral integrity." In this context, the senator emphasized: "Given the popularity of Alphabet platforms in Moldova, I think you should take this recommendation seriously and allocate additional resources to support a fair electoral environment."
Kremlin, accused of undermining democracy in the Republic of Moldova
In his letters, the US senator also referred to a June joint statement by the governments of the US, Canada and the UK, which exposed the Kremlin's influence tactics in the Republic of Moldova and warned that Russian actors are trying to incite violent protests to undermine stability in the country. "Our governments have warned that Russian actors are aiming to 'incite protests.' I believe this type of behavior violates your code of conduct and needs to be addressed,” Cardin wrote.
The senator emphasized the importance of immediate action: "Meta and Google now have a crucial chance to ensure that the Moldovan people can decide their future freely and without external influences. I hope these platforms will take this opportunity to become a forum for good."
Cardin called on the two companies not to accept ads paid for by sanctioned individuals or organizations and to devote more resources to identifying and removing false content that could affect the outcome of the referendum. "NDI's recommendation is that social media platforms 'dedicate more resources to Moldova to identify false information and inauthentic behavior... and proactively ensure that they do not accept ads from sanctioned individuals or entities or their intermediaries,'" the senator added.
