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Disinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic
Article
There are many examples of disinformation used by foreign governments to weaken social cohesion in Germany and undermine public trust in rule-of-law institutions. During the coronavirus pandemic in particular, a large amount of false and misleading information has intentionally been disseminated. Russia and China are the countries that have most frequently attempted to achieve their political goals by spreading disinformation.
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Disinformation is a challenge facing all democratic societies and we can tackle it more effectively by joining forces.
FROM THE SPEECH BY FEDERAL MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR NANCY FAESER AT THE GERMAN DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE SERVICES (BFV) SYMPOSIUM
For example, the Russian and Chinese governments spread false and misleading information about the different vaccines developed in Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom. To this end, the media controlled by the Russian and Chinese governments also made extensive use of social media in Europe. At the same time, Russia and China actively marketed their own vaccines around the world. However, the two countries were not only trying to undermine trust in the effectiveness and safety of what they labelled “Western vaccines”. The Russian and Chinese governments also generally discredited the response of the EU and its member states, such as Germany, to the coronavirus pandemic and suggested that democracies and open societies had failed in handling the crisis. State media in Russia and China addressed in biased way a wide range of issues related to the security measures imposed by the governments of Germany and other EU member states. These media outlets also provided a platform for vaccine opponents and COVID-19 deniers in Germany to spread falsehoods and reinforce their opinions.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) published a comprehensive report on Russia’s and China’s disinformation activities related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Press and Information Office of the German Federal Government checks the facts (in German) on coronavirus vaccinations on the website of the Federal Government.
"Together against Corona" , the central information platform of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) on the coronavirus pandemic, also reviews common myths circulating about the vaccines (in German).