UK to create centre to fight Russia disinformation

The United Kingdom plans to create a National Centre for Information Defence to counter disinformation from hostile actors including Russia, with officials warning that artificial intelligence could amplify false information.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the plan in a speech at the United Nations on Tuesday, saying he had tasked security chiefs with beginning work on a centre to “detect, attribute and disrupt” hostile state information attacks.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday that a public unable to separate fact from fiction was dangerous for democracy. He said the new centre would “mobilise trusted voices across civil society”.

Burnham accused Russian agencies of spreading lies and disinformation and repeated accusations that Moscow tried to interfere with Britain’s 2019 general election. He also accused Moscow of amplifying far-right narratives and stoking unrest after serious events.

The prime minister said disinformation and cyber attacks would be worsened by AI. He also told the UN General Assembly that Britain would lead efforts to establish global AI standards and announced an AI defence partnership with Washington to detect cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.