The United States announced Thursday an initiative to combat efforts by authoritarian governments to manipulate information, distort debates on important topics and undermine democratic institutions.
The State Department said in a statement that the effort includes working with allies to “develop coordinated responses to foreign information manipulation and protect free and open societies.”
“This transnational threat requires a coordinated international response,” the statement said.
The U.S. initiative includes ensuring elections are protected from foreign interference, and safeguarding marginalized groups as well as the freedom of expression.
It also calls for governments to have dedicated institutions to coordinate international engagement and “fact-based digital communication on foreign information manipulation.”
The U.S. is also advocating for investing in digital security, and for governments to protect the role of independent media.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.