Scholz cautions about Russian involvement in upcoming polls.
Concerns are mounting over possible Russian interference in upcoming European and national elections, a fear shared by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. One of his major concerns is combating the spread of misinformation. To achieve this, Scholz has recently joined the popular video-sharing app, TikTok.
In the not-so-distant past, the state-controlled Russian hacker collective "Cozy Bear" targeted German political parties. Now, Chancellor Scholz is alerting the public about the threat of Russian meddling in the forthcoming European and state elections. At an event held by Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, he stated, "There are attempts from outside to influence the European and state elections."
Scholz is particularly concerned about the wave of disinformation flooding the elections. "There is indeed an enormous amount of Russian disinformation circulating in election campaigns," he declared. Some individuals use these new communication platforms to sow division. "And that's why we need to fight back," he emphasized. One strategy he has adopted to confront this issue is the creation of a TikTok account.
When asked if social media platforms need stricter regulation, Scholz exercised caution. "We need to take a closer look at what's possible," he remarked. The law applies to these networks as well. "Any crime that would be considered illegal here is also a crime online," he added. To ensure effective action is taken, Scholz stressed, "We must ensure that measures are implemented."
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In light of Russia's historical hacking activities, such as the Cozy Bear incident targeting German political parties, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed concern about Russian involvement in upcoming European and national elections. This concern stems from the vast amount of Russian disinformation circulating on various communication platforms, which could potentially be used to sow division during election campaigns.
Source: www.ntv.de
