Canada on high alert for Russian disinformation, interference: Ottawa
Published April 13, 2022 at 3:40 pm
OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says Canada is on high alert for Russian disinformation campaigns designed to confuse and deceive people.
Mendicino says Canada is using all the tools at its disposal to detect online deception from Russia and to weaken its impact.
In an interview, he says Russia is a belligerent and hostile actor when it comes to spreading untruths in cyberspace, but he is confident Canada, working closely with its allies, is on top of the problem.
His remarks come after the government earmarked $28 million to combat state-sponsored disinformation not just from Russia but China, Iran and other foreign actors.
The funds will also combat attempts to erode trust in government from within Canada, and to counter white supremacist groups and bigots spreading lies and hatred about Jews, Muslims and other minority groups.
Mendicino says tactics to deliberately deceive people and distort the truth were employed by the leaders of the so-called freedom convoy that occupied Ottawa’s downtown streets for three weeks.
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