Disinformation, 'fake news' and the EU's response

The impact of the online spread of mis- and disinformation – including false news posing as factual stories – became increasingly visible in the context of the crisis in Ukraine, and gained notoriety as a global challenge during the 2016 United States presidential election campaign. Ahead of the European elections in 2019, the EU is now stepping up its efforts to tackle 'fake news'. This is a further updated version of an 'at a glance' note published in April 2017: PE 599.384.