Key facts
- Social media platforms are accused of being a "silent ally" to Russia in a "digital war" of disinformation.
Poland's Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski accused social media platforms of being a "silent ally" to Russia in a digital war and threatened fines for failing to curb disinformation. Data showed platforms acted on less than a quarter of reports in the first half of 2026.
The Polish government's threat of fines against social media platforms highlights growing international pressure on tech companies to combat disinformation, potentially leading to increased compliance costs and regulatory scrutiny across the industry.
Poland's Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski stated on Wednesday that social media platforms are a "silent ally" to Russia in a "digital war" and are failing to curb disinformation. He threatened to impose financial penalties on platforms that do not fulfill state requests. Data from Poland's NASK National Research Institute indicated that platforms acted on fewer than a quarter of the over 65,000 reports of fake accounts and disinformation sent to them in the first half of 2026. Specifically, only 7% of reported cases were deleted and over 17% were moderated. Gawkowski accused the platforms of deliberate action, suggesting they profit from disinformation and use it as a source of revenue. He demanded that platforms establish effective Polish-speaking content moderation teams, eliminate sham appeals processes, remove bot networks, and reduce response times for reports.
Pick the topics you care about. Get only what matters, on your cadence.