Select Committee · Foreign Affairs Committee

Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy

Status: Open Opened: 15 Jan 2025 33 recommendations 22 conclusions 1 report

Misinformation and disinformation campaigns are increasingly weaponised by hostile state and non-state actors and this inquiry will seek to understand which actors are primarily responsible, and which channels and technologies are being used. It will seek to map motivations, sources and locations of the most pressing disinformation threats to democracy, and to understand the impact … Show more

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
4th Report - Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors ar… HC 703 27 Mar 2026 55 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
13 Conclusion 4th Report - Disinformation diplomacy: … Acknowledged

The Committee is deeply concerned about the continued deterioration of democracy in Georgia which, on...

The Committee is deeply concerned about the continued deterioration of democracy in Georgia which, on its current trajectory, will lead to an entrenched autocracy firmly under Russia’s sphere of influence, like Belarus. We condemn the actions of the Georgian Dream Government in suspending EU accession talks, repressing opposition voices, limiting … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government shares the Committee's concerns about threats to democracy and security, stating its commitment to go further and faster to counter hybrid threats, including FIMI, through existing departmental allocations and continued resource prioritization.
Read full response →
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
18 Recommendation 4th Report - Disinformation diplomacy: … Acknowledged

Working with the European Union, the UK Government should scale-up assistance for independent media, civil...

Working with the European Union, the UK Government should scale-up assistance for independent media, civil society organisations and media literacy whilst continuing to monitor and expose foreign influence operations in these regions. (Recommendation, Paragraph 100) Read more

Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the committee's suggestion and states they will take it into account alongside the Rycroft Review and lessons from allies, as they are working to cohere the government's approach to countering foreign information threats.
Read full response →
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
34 Conclusion 4th Report - Disinformation diplomacy: … Acknowledged

Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) proliferation over the last few years has ushered a new digital era...

Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) proliferation over the last few years has ushered a new digital era by invigorating research and innovation, whilst introducing unique challenges to national security. AI offers malicious users the opportunities to create novel content at speed, greatly increasing their reach and impact. However, it can also be … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government partially agrees with the Committee's observation on AI's dual nature, acknowledging its use for both information manipulation and defensive capabilities. It states that FCDO capabilities are under review and existing AI sandboxes are in place, with a commitment to assess their utility for …
Read full response →
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
46 Conclusion 4th Report - Disinformation diplomacy: … Acknowledged

The UK Government has indicated it will take an all-of-society approach through various commitments outlined...

The UK Government has indicated it will take an all-of-society approach through various commitments outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, National Security Strategy and the Resilience Action Plan. Yet media literacy was notably absent. Whilst we welcome the Government’s media literacy action plan, it places no overt responsibilities on social … Read more

Government response AI summary
The government agrees that media literacy is crucial for resilience to FIMI and is evaluating its 'You Won’t Know Until You Ask’ campaign to adapt it for specific FIMI risks. It also acknowledges the critical role of social media platforms in promoting media literacy, stating …
Read full response →
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Oral evidence sessions

7 sessions
Date Witnesses
9 Mar 2026 Ali Law · TikTok, David Agranovich · Meta, Wifredo Fernández · X Corp. View ↗
13 Jan 2026 Ana Revenco · Moldovan Centre for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation, Ciaran Martin CB · National Cyber Security Centre, Vijay Rangarajan CMG · Electoral Commission View ↗
6 Jan 2026 Jonny Hall CMG OBE · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Stephen Doughty MP · Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office View ↗
18 Nov 2025 Alexandre Brasil · Brazilian Embassy in London, Jon Bateman · Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Nina Jankowicz · American Sunlight Project, Nishant Lalwani · International Fund for Public Interest Media, Roberta Braga · Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas View ↗
16 Sep 2025 Dr Antonio Giustozzi · Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Dr Dani Madrid-Morales · The University of Sheffield, Grace Theodoulou · The Council on Geostrategy, James Kynge · Chatham House, Mr Andrew Yeh · China Strategic Risks Institute View ↗
1 Apr 2025 Salome Zourabichvili View ↗
11 Feb 2025 Dr Jon Roozenbeek · King's College London, Professor Martin Innes · Cardiff University, Professor Vera Tolz-Zilitinkevic · University of Manchester View ↗

Who gave evidence

22 witnesses
WitnessOrganisationSessions
Alexandre Brasil · Deputy Head of Mission Brazilian Embassy in London 1
Ali Law · Director of Public Policy for Northern Europe TikTok 1
Ana Revenco · Director Moldovan Centre for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation 1
Ciaran Martin CB · Founding Chief Executive National Cyber Security Centre 1
David Agranovich · Director of Global Threat Disruption Meta 1
Dr Antonio Giustozzi · Senior Research Fellow (Terrorism and Conflict) Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) 1
Dr Dani Madrid-Morales · Lecturer in Journalism and Global Communication The University of Sheffield 1
Dr Jon Roozenbeek · Lecturer in Psychology and Security King's College London 1
Grace Theodoulou · Policy Fellow (China Observatory) The Council on Geostrategy 1
James Kynge · Senior Research Fellow for China and the World Chatham House 1
Jon Bateman · Senior Fellow and Co-Director, Technology and Int… Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 1
Jonny Hall CMG OBE · Director, Hybrid Directorate Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office 1
Mr Andrew Yeh · Executive Director China Strategic Risks Institute 1
Nina Jankowicz · CEO American Sunlight Project 1
Nishant Lalwani · CEO International Fund for Public Interest Media 1
Professor Martin Innes · Director of the Security, Crime and Intelligence … Cardiff University 1
Professor Vera Tolz-Zilitinkevic · Sir William Mather Professor of Russian Studies University of Manchester 1
Roberta Braga · Founder and Executive Director Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas 1
Salome Zourabichvili 1
Stephen Doughty MP · Minister for Europe, North America and Overseas T… Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office 1
Vijay Rangarajan CMG · Chief Executive Electoral Commission 1
Wifredo Fernández · Head of Americas, Global Government Affairs X Corp. 1

Correspondence

11 letters
DateDirectionTitle
25 Feb 2026 Correspondence with Ofcom relating to disinformation, dated 17 February and 03 …
3 Feb 2026 Correspondence with the Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at Tik…
3 Feb 2026 Correspondence with the Government Affairs Department at X relating to the disi…
3 Feb 2026 Correspondence from the Director of UK Public Policy at Meta relating to disinf…
28 Jan 2026 Correspondence with the Minister for AI and Online Safety, DSIT, relating to di…
28 Jan 2026 Correspondence with the Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy, MHCLG…
28 Jan 2026 Correspondence with the Minister for Security, Home Office, and Minister of Sta…
20 Jan 2026 Correspondence from Minister Doughty following up on the oral evidence session …
14 Jan 2026 From cttee Letter to the Director of Public Policy (UK) at Meta, relating to the disinform…
14 Jan 2026 From cttee Letter to the Head of Government Affairs (UK and Ireland) at X, relating to the…
14 Jan 2026 From cttee Letter to the Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs at TikTok, relat…