Poland warns social media giants of fines for spreading Russian fakes in ongoing digital war
Photo: Polish Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski (Getty Images)
The Polish government is demanding that social media platforms more actively counter Russian disinformation and respond faster to reports of fake accounts. Companies that fail to comply with state requests may face fines, according to Reuters.
Polish Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski accused social media platforms of failing to counter Russian disinformation effectively. He said these platforms are effectively becoming "silent allies" of Russia in the digital war.
"A digital war with Russia is underway, and within this digital war lies a front of disinformation. On this disinformation front, there is a silent ally to the Russian bots and the Kremlin’s GRU: social media platforms," the minister stated.
He also emphasized that the platforms are not responding adequately to the problem. In Gawkowski's view, their inaction allows the spread of false information, particularly through bots and fake accounts.
How social media platforms respond to Russian disinformation in Poland
The scale of the problem is illustrated by data from the Polish research institute NASK. In the first half of 2026, the organization sent over 65,000 notifications to social media platforms regarding fake accounts and instances of disinformation.
However, the platforms responded to less than a quarter of these requests. According to NASK data, only 7% of the reported cases resulted in content removal, while just over 17% were subjected to moderation.
Gawkowski believes that these figures indicate not just insufficient platform efficiency. He also accused the companies of profiting from disinformation.
"The data points not merely to a failure, but to deliberate action by the platforms — which profit from disinformation, use it, and treat it as a source of their revenue," the minister added.
What Poland demands from platforms
Gawkowski stated that he has issued a series of demands to social media platforms aimed at strengthening the fight against disinformation. In particular, the Polish government wants companies to establish effective moderation teams that operate in the Polish language.
Such teams must maintain direct, real-time communication with organizations and other authorized entities that report suspicious content.
He also demanded the elimination of what he called sham appeal procedures, the immediate removal of any detected bot networks, and a reduction in response times to all such reports.
"Furthermore, I have made it clear that any state request left unfulfilled by these platforms will trigger proceedings to impose financial penalties upon them," the minister concluded.
Ahead of Poland's Independence Day, Russia intensified its disinformation campaign against Ukraine, spreading fakes about deteriorating relations between the countries and Polish fatigue with supporting Kyiv.
The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) believes that the Kremlin's goal is to weaken European unity and international support for Ukraine.
