The Counter Disinformation Network (CDN)

The Counter Disinformation Network (CDN) builds cross-border collaboration among democracy defenders to expose, dismantle, and prevent influence operations targeting European elections and civic integrity.

COMBATING FRAGMENTATION IN DISINFORMATION RESPONSE

The Counter Disinformation Network was established to overcome the fragmented and siloed nature of efforts to counter influence operations in Europe. By facilitating collaboration among Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) researchers, fact-checkers, journalists, and academics, the network enables high-quality research and coordinated responses to threats against democracy. Ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections, the CDN formed a pan-European network to track disinformation in real time and act decisively on emerging threats, exposing critical weaknesses in EU sanction enforcement and foreign interference mitigation.

COORDINATED ACTION AND CONCRETE RESULTS

With 50 member organisations and over 220 practitioners from 13 EU member states and 7 non-EU countries, the CDN represents the first systematic effort to sustain large-scale, cross-border collaboration against disinformation. In just one year, the network monitored four elections, issued 56 reports and alerts, and dismantled influence operations reaching millions of users. Its shared methodology and secure workspace allowed members to produce joint reports, flag disinformation networks—including sanctioned Russian accounts with nearly 200 million likes—and expose AI-driven manipulation tactics. These interventions removed active threats and protected democratic processes during critical moments.

BRIDGING RESEARCH AND POLICYMAKING

More than just a research initiative, the CDN serves as a direct channel between independent investigators and EU policymakers, ensuring that expert findings shape digital governance. The network has helped enforce EU law, including the Digital Services Act, by providing actionable evidence. It has also amplified the voices of smaller organisations, connecting them to high-level decision-making spaces. Through ongoing education efforts, the CDN has informed millions of Europeans about how disinformation works, building long-term resilience.The network’s lasting legacy is a resilient, sustainable infrastructure capable of responding swiftly to disinformation—ensuring democracy is not only defended, but actively strengthened across Europe.

Project owner
Saman Nazari
Lead Researcher at Alliance4Europe
Project owner
Konrad Adamowicz
Deputy Director of Department for Strategic Communications and Countering Foreign Disinformation, Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs