Canada, U.S., U.K. endorse framework to fight foreign information manipulation

Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom say they're «deeply concerned» about foreign information manipulation and have jointly endorsed a framework to counter the threat.

«The time is now for a collective approach to the foreign information manipulation threat that builds a coalition of like-minded countries committed to strengthening resilience and response to information manipulation,» the three countries said in a joint media release on Friday.

The framework they're endorsing was released in mid-January by the U.S. State Department. It outlines multiple principles for fighting foreign information manipulation, such as supporting independent media and encouraging countries to go beyond «monitor-and-report» approaches.

Since last August, a string of reports have highlighted concerns from various Canadian organizations about disinformation campaigns targeting the country.

During that month, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) said a disinformation operation on the Chinese social media platform WeChat spread false information about Conservative MP Michael Chong's identity and political stances.

Later in October, GAC said the Chinese government was likely behind a «spamouflage» disinformation campaign targeting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and other MPs.

A «spamouflage» campaign uses hijacked social media accounts to post propaganda messages across social media platforms.

GAC said the posts claimed a critic of the Chinese Communist Party in Canada accused various MPs of criminal and ethical violations. GAC said the posts likely involved «deepfake» manipulated videos.

But the heightened attention on foreign information manipulation isn't restricted to Canada.

Major world powers are