Disinformation Commission, DASH calls for inclusiveness

The government's haste to give the green light to the special commission on disinformation without dialogue raised concerns among the opposition and civil society. The lack of transparency and inclusiveness during this process is not even in the expectations of the US Department of State, which requires comprehensive dialogue. In a response to Faktoje, DASH says that it expects broad-based discussion by Albanians about the fight against disinformation.

On April 11, the Socialists approved in the Parliament the establishment of the special commission for disinformation. The lack of transparency and inclusiveness in the two-week process that was finalized with the establishment of the disinformation commission created concern in the ranks of the opposition and civil society.

The demand for broad-based inclusiveness and dialogue is now also coming from international partners. The US Department of State, in a comment for Faktoje, emphasizes that this is the only way to effectively combat the challenge of disinformation.

"Fighting this challenge requires a comprehensive dialogue to ensure its effectiveness and we expect a broad-based discussion with all Albanians.", DASH, for Faktoje.

"The fight against disinformation and misinformation is critical" - DASH assesses, emphasizing that the US cooperates with friends and allies to build stability and best practices.

As for the document on which the establishment of this commission is based - the memorandum of cooperation signed on February 15 by Albania and the United States, during the visit to Tirana of the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken - DASH believes that it should serve as a framework for diplomatic engagement with partners and allies around the world.

"The framework is designed to help decision-makers develop the most complete possible common operational picture of the threat of information manipulation by a foreign state and to identify and implement effective ways to combat it," DASH explains.

The Albanian government has not yet published the Memorandum of Understanding Against the Manipulation of Foreign Information (disinformation) between Albania and the USA. Faktoje has requested a copy of the document and is still awaiting an official response from the Council of Ministers.

The purpose of the disinformation commission

The purpose of the special commission for disinformation is to identify disinformation campaigns in the media, financial support of the media or civil society organizations. A key element is also the identification of the source of income spent by political parties in electoral campaigns.

The disinformation commission foresees taking measures in case of identification of possible foreign or malicious interventions. The request envisages measures such as changing or adopting laws to increase the accountability of platforms and social media in classifying the information shared.

"The measures also provide for the closure of the accounts of persons or entities that engage in inauthentic coordinated behavior on the Internet." - it is stated in the approved request of the socialists for the disinformation commission./ Faktoje-