News item | 09-02-2022 | 12:00
In the run-up to the municipal elections, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations will issue a guideline on disinformation to inform municipalities, provinces, water boards and other government organisations. This guide provides officials and administrators with legal and practical tips to reduce the impact of disinformation and what organizations can do if they are confronted with it.
Minister Hanke Bruins Slot: “Municipalities and other government organizations play an important role in the public debate and also in protecting it. This guide contributes to increasing knowledge about disinformation. In addition, it offers municipalities and other government organizations tools on how to deal with disinformation when they are confronted with it, for example in the run-up to municipal elections.”
Due to increasing digitization, disinformation has an increasing influence on the public debate in the Netherlands. Disinformation can amplify or suppress opinions and magnify differences within society. In doing so, it can undermine democracy and disrupt the conduct of free and open elections. The scale of disinformation can vary widely: from large-scale national and international campaigns to local cases.
Municipalities are also increasingly confronted with disinformation. During elections, disinformation can have a major impact. It can hinder citizens from voting, for example because they receive incorrect information about the electoral process or their voting behavior is influenced by misleading information about parties and candidates. It is therefore important that attention is also paid to this in the direction of the municipal elections in March.