Overview

• The U.S. State Department has announced a new framework to counter foreign disinformation, calling it a national security threat.
• The Framework to Counter Foreign State Information Manipulation aims to establish a common set of actions for the U.S. and its allies to combat foreign information manipulation and protect free and open societies.
• The framework includes five key action areas: national strategies and policies, governance structures and institutions, human and technical capacity, civil society, independent media and academia, and multilateral engagement.
• The U.S. is calling on like-minded countries to endorse these key action items and go beyond a standard 'monitor and report approach' to actively combat the threat.
• The framework also emphasizes the importance of protecting independent media, promoting independent fact checking, and enhancing media and digital literacy.