Capri, 18 April 2024 (TDI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Italy to attend the G7 Foreign Minister Meeting. During this visit, Secretary Blinken and his Italian counterparts signed an MOU to counter foreign state information manipulation.
Italian Vice President, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani signed an MOU (memorandum of understanding) at Capri.
This MOU is signed to develop their coalition against Foreign disinformation. This hazard can construct divisions and undermine public trust in government. This MOU between the US and Italy is multilateral, comprising G7.
Moreover, both countries are anticipated to counter the threat of foreign state information manipulation while esteeming the freedom of manifestation online and offline.
Furthermore, both countries plan to align policies to establish the US Framework to counter “Foreign State Information Manipulation”.
In addition, “the US and Italy invest in AI tools to tackle the spread of fake news and to create a shared database on detected manipulation activities.”
According to reports, “The agreement between Italy-U.S. will establish countermeasures against information manipulation by foreign states and promote transparency in media financing and ownership.”
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Secretary Blinken said, “Today I met with Italian Foreign Minister Tajani to expand our collaboration on countering foreign disinformation and propaganda.
We also discussed shared concerns about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and our unwavering commitment to support Ukraine.”
Secretary Blinken said, As a closest partner we work together to deal with global critical issues. Such as the Ukraine war with Russia, and rising Middle East conflicts.
Moreover, he said, we have shared approaches to some of the challenges posed by China and we are working together to tackle the global issues.
Additionally, he said that because of this we worked together with G7 partners to make a real difference.
Foreign Minister Tajanj said, “We’re pleased to have signed a memorandum with the US to combat disinformation. Non-democratic countries use fake news to create confusion and influence elections.”
Moreover, he said, “As Italy and the EU prepare for the European Parliament renewal, we don’t want fake news to condition our citizens or influence their votes.”
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In addition, he said that, “citizens should be free and not influenced by fake news, as this can distort their vote. It is our duty as great democracies to defend the freedom of our citizens.”
