Response to interpellation 2023/24:827 on work at EU level against anonymous influence

Statsrådet Jessika Roswall (M)

Madam Speaker! Matilda Ernkrans has asked me what initiatives I intend to take at the EU level to stop hate, threats, and disinformation from anonymous accounts in social media.

The Government takes seriously the risk that hate, threats and disinformation lead to division in society, silenced voices and an eroded trust in our democratic institutions. The Swedish community shall continue to be characterized by trust, security and respect for fundamental freedoms and rights. As Matilda Ernkrans highlights, in addition to the measures being taken nationally within the various ministries' areas of responsibility, there are also reasons to act at the EU level.

Among the measures already taken within the EU, I would particularly like to mention the regulation on a single market for digital services, DSA, which sets requirements for the largest platforms, among other things regarding disinformation. Another example is the regulation on political advertising, which aims to make it easier for voters to recognize and understand who is behind political advertising. A further example is the new regulation on artificial intelligence, which prohibits the use of AI systems intended to manipulate or mislead.

Alongside legislation, other initiatives are taken, for example the code of conduct on disinformation that many platform services have joined.

The cross-border nature of the issue has, over a series of years, prompted extensive and comprehensive work within the EU. The Government therefore views it positively that Ursula von der Leyen gives the issue significant space in her political guidelines for the next commission.

This gives reason to remind of the importance of EU measures being designed in a balanced and proportionate manner. In this area, trade-offs are often highlighted where freedom of expression and other rights must be balanced against the importance of countering deviations that can have very serious consequences. The Government safeguards this balance.

When it comes to the more specific, the government's distribution of responsibility means that ministers who are responsible for a policy area also handle the EU issues contained therein. In the General Council, where I as EU Minister represent Sweden, general and cross-sectoral issues are handled. One such example is the recently mentioned regulation on political advertising. This does not, however, mean that I have responsibility for issues concerning disinformation and undue influence. Such issues are also, as a rule, not handled in the General Council. Since the issue of hate, threats, and disinformation linked to social media affects the areas of responsibility of several ministers, I would, however, like to emphasize that it is important for the government to work jointly, especially since this requires that initiatives are taken both nationally and at the EU level.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Matilda Ernkrans (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answers.

In order for this to become an understandable debate, and in order to highlight some of what the Minister chose not to include in his answer, I thought I would start by outlining the background to my questions to the Minister for EU Affairs regarding the Swedish government's work at the EU level to stop hate, threats, and disinformation from anonymous accounts in social media.

It broke out before the summer. The investigative journalistic work carried out by Kalla fakta in TV4 shed light on and proved what we actually already knew but now had in black and white, namely that the Sverigedemokraternas party office orchestrates a troll factory with fake anonymous accounts to influence public opinion in Sweden. These spread organized disinformation and fuel threats and hate in Sweden.

The method is reminiscent of the covert influence campaigns that we can also see from powers such as Russia, Iran, and China, as well as from extremist groups in various parts of Europe. We have witnessed how Sweden has become a target for extensive campaigns aimed at harming the country. Narratives about immigration, antisemitism, and hbtqi rights are used to portray our country as a country in decline. Anonymous accounts are used to threaten and intimidate opponents, investigative journalists, and researchers who are considered to think, review, or research incorrectly. It is serious.

Disinformation and divisive hate rhetoric make not only Sweden but also Europe less secure and weaker. Europe faces today its greatest challenges since the Second World War. Russia's war in Ukraine has shaken our continent and shown the vulnerability in our security order.

The one who profits from the Sverigedemokraterna fake accounts, which spread misleading information, is Putin. When Sweden and European democracies are threatened from within through this type of activity, we know that it plays into Putin's hands. Putin counts on this to divide Europe, undermine support for Ukraine, and weaken Europe's defense capability, not least by undermining the will to defend. In today's security policy situation, it is serious.

I think it is easy to state that what the Sverigedemokraterna engage in in Åkesson's troll factories is precisely political fraud. Ultimately, it is the Swedish people who are being defrauded, and here Sweden must stand up for the Swedish people.

More can be done at the national level, but as the Minister mentioned, the internet and cybersecurity are to the highest degree an international matter. Regulatory frameworks need to be designed cross-border, and therefore more needs to be done at the EU level to protect the Swedish people and Europe's citizens against internal and external forces that spread hate, threats, and disinformation.

Commission President von der Leyen's program for the upcoming mandate period in the EU states that democracy is under attack in Europe. She argues that this has increased significantly, that the methods are more harmful and harder to track, and that this is easier to spread on social media. It sounds as if von der Leyen is giving a direct description of the revelation Kalla fakta made about the Sweden Democrats' communications department.

von der Leyen presents a European democratic shield to protect Europe. She proposes, among other things, a new agency similar to the Psychological Defence Agency in Sweden.

This is the reason why I asked these questions to the EU Minister, who appears to be set to become our future EU Commissioner. For many different reasons, it feels very important to give the EU Minister the opportunity to tell not only what has been done but also what they can imagine taking the initiative to do in the future to stop fake accounts.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Jessika Roswall (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Matilda Ernkrans for the questions. These are extremely important issues that are raised in the interpellation.

As I mentioned in my answer, the EU has taken several measures during this term to counter the spread of hate, threats, and disinformation. These are measures that both this and the previous government stand behind, and which Swedish Members of the European Parliament have also actively pushed for in the negotiations.

Just as Matilda Ernkrans intended, I thought I would take the opportunity to elaborate a bit on what these matters are about. When Ursula von der Leyen took office as Commission President in 2019, she highlighted in her political guidelines that EU-wide approaches and standards were needed to handle problems such as disinformation, hate, and threats online. These writings have since resulted in a number of different initiatives that the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament have agreed upon and which are now to begin being implemented in practice.

For example, I highlighted the Artificial Intelligence Act, which was adopted last summer and will apply from August 2026. AI used to influence voters will be classified as high-risk systems there. This means that those who develop such AI tools have a responsibility to minimize the risks and design them in such a way that they allow for human control, so that the algorithms do not take on a life of their own, so to speak.

All AI systems that intend to undermine people's decision-making and free choice by misleading and manipulating will also be prohibited.

Another example that I raised in my first post was the regulation on political advertising. That too aims to contribute to an improved debate climate. From next autumn, political advertising must be clearly marked and contain information clarifying the advertisement's political character, who the client is, and that the message is targeted at certain individuals based on personal data. But the regulation on political advertising does not cover unpaid posts on online platforms. Therefore, we will also need other tools to combat disinformation.

This is, as mentioned, an important issue. I have visited, among other places, Meta's offices in Ireland to review how the tech companies work to counter disinformation. The European Commission took, as I have also already raised, the proposal for the Digital Services Act, DSA, which classifies certain service providers as very large online platforms in the EU's internal market. This concerns Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube. These platforms must adapt their functionality and their terms of service so as not to assist with undue influence during elections. It will simply be that tougher requirements are introduced.

There are also Swedes who have been very active in these negotiations. This applies to both the previous government, which Matilda Ernkrans was a part of, as well as this government and, for example, Member of the European Parliament Arba Kokalari, who sat at the negotiating table at the end when that specific file was being negotiated.

I experience and perceive that the previous government and this government have not had any political differences of opinion regarding these various proposals that we are now going to work on implementing. Here, both Matilda Ernkrans and I and others have great significance in our continued work of being proactive in countering disinformation.

In conclusion, I shall say something about what can be done moving forward. Just as Matilda Ernkrans says, Ursula von der Leyen in the new guideline has highlighted precisely those measures that will be needed to protect our democracy. In her political guidelines for the next mandate period, she has, among other things, which Matilda Ernkrans has also said, highlighted our Swedish authority for psychological defense as an example.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Matilda Ernkrans (S)

Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister, even though it may be perceived as somewhat weak when it comes to what should be done moving forward and what new initiatives should be taken.

I think, as I have said, that there is reason to engage more in these issues. It becomes extra interesting when Sweden's EU Minister is present here in the chamber, and we know that she is nominated to become our next Swedish EU Commissioner. She will be part of the European EU Commission. As a new EU Commissioner, Minister Jessika Roswall will become one of the most powerful Swedes, if not the most powerful Swede, in the entire EU. Therefore, it is very interesting to hear how the EU Minister views these issues and her role in a future commission.

There is more to be done, and the Commission President von der Leyen outlines it in her program for the Commission over the next five years. EU Minister Roswall will, as said, be a part of that. In that case, it is interesting to find out more about how our future commissioner views it.

Will Roswall support von der Leyen's democratic shield to protect Europe against disinformation, cyber threats, and threats to democracy? How does Roswall view a new European authority similar to the one von der Leyen is outlining? Does Roswall want such an authority at the European level?

Can the Minister say anything further on how either the government or she, as a future commissioner, views the possibility of giving Europol an expanded mandate to strengthen the member states' national police authorities in crime-fighting work online? Can she say anything about tightening EU legislation when it comes to curbing algorithms that promote extreme content online or about developing the AI regulation that the Minister herself mentioned in order to be able to take in, detect, and counter fraud and deepfakes?

The Swedish people and citizens in Europe need to be protected against disinformation, hate, and threats. Kalla fakta's revelation about Åkesson's troll factory has shown that there is a need to do more. Ahead of the EU election, we also saw that Swedish municipalities and authorities were hit by large cyberattacks. We therefore really need to take this threat seriously. The EU must be protected against anonymous influence and against the risk of external and internal forces splitting us, not least in times of war. We need to hold together for Ukraine and for Europe's peace, freedom, and security.

My and the Social Democrats' message to the minister is that the problem needs to be taken even more seriously and that more must be done against the forces that spread disinformation, hate, and threats from Sweden and from within the union. We therefore have great expectations for Minister Roswall and even greater expectations for Sweden's next EU Commissioner.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Jessika Roswall (M)

Madam Speaker! I will not be able to answer all of Matilda Ernkrans's questions. They are posed a bit too early. But I can say that generally speaking – which is also what we agree on in this chamber – values regarding the protection of democracy and the fight against disinformation have always stood high on my agenda. This applies also to this government and also to previous governments.

The negotiations regarding the proposals that I am highlighting are, in my opinion, well worth discussing here. They emerged around 2019 in a restless world, which has now become increasingly restless. Now we must place even more focus on implementing them. They are regulations and directives, somewhat mixed. I believe that I, in my current role for a few more days but also as a future commissioner, will have an important job to do there.

I believe that Matilda Ernkrans, along with colleagues, will also have that. It is about, among other things, pressing on how important the issues are, but also about safeguarding the balance, which I touched upon a little. It is usually a classic Swedish position in the various proposals that Matilda Ernkrans highlights. I will, of course, not answer today on exactly how it will be moving forward. But I feel secure in that I have strong support to safeguard and press on these important issues.

The government takes these issues very seriously and has done so since day one, partly in light of the restless world around us that Matilda Ernkrans highlighted in her first post. Many ministers are involved and responsible for the different parts. Among other things, the government made a decision this summer on a new national security strategy, precisely to clarify Sweden's ability when it comes to meeting hybrid threats, disinformation, and influence operations. But it is not just about identifying which capabilities exist and about identifying and managing the threats, but also about how we ourselves can reduce vulnerability and strengthen the resilience in society.

In the question regarding our national security interests, the global situation, and Sweden's conditions, it is the government's most important task to prioritize and focus on these issues. If one has the time and desire, I can definitely recommend reading the national security strategy.

The government is also working on a number of other proposals. Among others, the Minister for Culture has been here and informed that the Swedish Press and Broadcasting Authority has been tasked to carry out a national initiative to strengthen media and information literacy, precisely in order to counter disinformation.

We just had a European Parliament election where the issue definitely stood high on the agenda for all of us. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, was here in the Riksdag. She also met the Prime Minister. I was also at a meeting where exactly this issue was on the agenda. It certainly did when Matilda Ernkrans met her as well.

The Prime Minister also invited all party leaders to a discussion on this and informed about how our various agencies work together on these issues. It concerns everything from the Election Authority to the County Administrative Boards, the Swedish Police Authority, the Swedish Security Service, the Psychological Defence Agency, which we have already mentioned, among others.

In conclusion, I would like to take the opportunity to mention one more thing that the government is working on. It concerns the world around us and Moldova's rapprochement with the EU, which Matilda Ernkrans and I have spoken about a number of times.

My State Secretary was there recently. Moldova is a country that is truly exposed to disinformation, and we need to help and support them. The Minister for Defence and the Minister for Civil Defence were also recently there and signed a letter of intent to strengthen defense cooperation, among other purposes, to counter disinformation. The Government is therefore working broadly on these issues.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Matilda Ernkrans (S)

Madam Speaker! I do not know for sure, but it may be that this is the last time that I and the EU Minister meet in debate in the chamber of the Riksdag. Perhaps one can also guess that this is even the last debate for Minister Roswall in this chamber.

I would therefore like to conclude by thanking EU Minister Jessika Roswall for this debate, but also for the nearly two years she has been EU Minister and for the work we have done together.

I also want to take the opportunity to wish Jessika Roswall warm luck as Sweden's next EU Commissioner. It is important for Sweden who is Sweden's EU Commissioner. I know that EU Minister Roswall is passionate about EU cooperation and is a very hard-working minister. She will certainly take that with her into the upcoming assignment as Sweden's next EU Commissioner.

It is truly no small thing to become Sweden's EU Commissioner. It is big, very big. Warm best of luck!

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Jessika Roswall (M)

Madam Speaker! I know that Matilda Ernkrans and several others have high expectations of me, which has clearly shown here today. I thank them for that. I hope that I can deliver.

I will not let this become a personal discussion between myself and Matilda Ernkrans, but this is significant. If I am approved, I will of course return to the Riksdag in that capacity, so we will have the opportunity to cooperate.

EU issues are important. Matilda Ernkrans and I know that, and they also deserve to be. I hope, as I said, that I will be able to deliver.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for a good cooperation. This is probably my last debate here in the chamber. And again, I want to thank you for that I was given this interpellation, appropriately just a few days before I leave. Thank you for a good cooperation and thank you for today!

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)