Foreign interference and disinformation campaigns have notably increased in Belgium since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the annual activity report published on Wednesday by the General Intelligence and Security Service (GISS).
This service, affiliated with Defence, observed that Belgium's promise to deliver F-16s to Ukraine led to increased Russian influence activities targeting Belgium.
"We have noticed a form of 'Belgium Bashing' through disinformation campaigns," explained Major General Stéphane Dutron, head of GISS, to Belga News Agency. The goal of these campaigns was to make part of the population believe that the delivery of these planes would threaten Belgium and should be stopped.
Extreme narratives
The legislative elections in June and the municipal elections in October also contributed to the emergence of disinformation campaigns.
"We observe that certain extreme narratives have been reinforced," Dutron said. The GISS identified a significant increase in false information concerning immigration, the LGBTQ+ community, and extremism. "The idea is for people to start believing a certain narrative because they see it widely on social media." This can subsequently influence their electoral behaviour.
Foreign influence has been established by the GISS based on identifiable patterns, stressed Dutron.
In October, several public websites at federal, regional, and local levels were targeted by a series of cyberattacks. These were carried out by hacker groups, inundating the sites with requests until they became intermittently inaccessible. Basic protection measures generally functioned well, limiting the consequences, noted the GISS.
"The operating method of these 'hacktivist' groups aims to publicise their actions to encourage other actors or individuals to join, increasing the devastating effect of the anxious atmosphere they want to create. It should be noted that the less publicity there is, the more their intended effect fades," the report elaborated.
