A recent report of the so-called Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO), a Hungarian state entity mentions the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), the Hungarian Digital Media Observatory (HDMO), and a member organisation of the FACT anti-disinformation hub (focusing on Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and the Baltic States) in the context of “election manipulation”. The SPO had labelled FACT as part of a "transatlantic influence infrastructure" in an earlier report. These fit well into the narrative actively communicated by the governing party and government-controlled media in Hungary that alleges “foreign interference” in the upcoming election. The supposed interference includes “censorship” on social media. Accordingly, the recent SPO reports are just new entries in a continued series targeting fact-checkers and other information integrity professionals with false claims of information meddling and censorship.

The baseless claims against EDMO members might generate distrust not only towards the European fact-checking community but also towards the overall electoral process just before the Hungarian general elections due on 12 April, potentially to serve as a pretext for delegitimizing the results thereof.

HDMO categorically rejects the accusations.

Members of EDMO, HDMO and other European anti-disinformation hubs conduct their activities without any external directive and without any political bias, adhering to the highest standards of integrity, in full compliance with the ethical guidelines applicable to them, like the European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations. The work of EDMO and its national or regional hubs is also in line with the voluntary co-regulatory framework, the Code of Conduct on Disinformation.

It is crucially important that EDMO members cannot themselves moderate content on social platforms. Content moderation decisions are the sole responsibility of the companies operating those platforms: they themselves are the signatories of the Code of Conduct recognised under the DSA. Members of the anti-disinformation community continually advocate for the increased transparency and accountability of all these Very Large Online Platforms.

HDMO and fellow EDMO network hubs continue their work on protecting information integrity in these crucial moments undeterred by the false allegations. We shall continue our operation with unchanged principles and professional standards during and after the Hungarian election, regardless of its outcome.