US Pressures Allies to Distance From Anti-Disinformation Conference

The US State Department urged Canada and European allies to distance themselves from an anti-disinformation conference after organizers included a panel examining whether the United States poses an information manipulation threat to Europe, according to US officials and correspondence reviewed by Reuters.

American diplomats contacted officials in Lithuania, Canada and France ahead of the October 7-8 conference organized by EU DisinfoLab, a Brussels-based nonprofit focused on combating disinformation.

The diplomatic outreach reportedly led Canada and Lithuania, previously listed as “main supporters,” to reduce their involvement. US Ambassador to Lithuania Kara McDonald was involved in discussions with Vilnius, according to two US officials.

The European Union’s External Action Service also disappeared from the conference’s supporter list, although it remains unclear whether Washington contacted the EU body. France remained listed as the event’s only main supporter.

At the center of the dispute was a panel titled “USA as a FIMI threat: acknowledge, adapt, push back.” FIMI refers to “foreign information manipulation and interference.” The conference program said the discussion would examine how the United States allegedly became a FIMI threat to Europe.

The panel followed a scheduled speech by an International Criminal Court judge sanctioned by the United States.

The State Department declined to discuss specific diplomatic conversations but said it was unsurprising that governments would distance themselves after learning the US had been characterized as a disinformation threat. It argued that such language undermined shared objectives and should concern conference participants.

Global Affairs Canada said its officials would still attend the EU DisinfoLab conference but had revised participation in several panels following changes to how events were framed.

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry confirmed it canceled its participation because parts of the program differed from the government’s official position.

A French diplomat said France did not participate in designing the conference program but regularly supports civil society organizations working to counter disinformation.

EU officials and EU DisinfoLab did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Guardian first reported the State Department’s lobbying efforts surrounding the conference.