Disinformation May Have Influenced Half of Voters in Upcoming EU Elections, Researchers Say

Free speech advocates warn against restrictive legislation to combat the issue

European commissioners Julian King (R) and Mariya Gabriel hold a press conference on the code of practice signed by online platforms to fight disinformation at the European Commission in Brussels on Jan. 29, 2019. Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

BRUSSELS—Cyber experts have warned that social media accounts that pump out state-sponsored disinformation may have influenced up to half of all Europeans in the runup to this month’s European Union elections.

In a new report, the technology firm SafeGuard Cyber unearthed evidence of 6,700 “bad actors” linked to the Russian government, who have posted enough content to reach as many as 241 million users across the bloc.