The campaign, prepared by the ministry in cooperation with the NASK National Research Institute, explains the tactics used by disinformation actors. The public-awareness films feature a group of big-eared trolls dressed in shabby corporate suits that help underscore the organized nature of online disinformation efforts.
“Disinfomation constitutes a threat to social stability and the democratic order,” said Krzysztof Gawkowski, a deputy prime minister and the digital affairs minister. “Although the awareness of Poles regarding the subject has significantly increased in recent years, the phenomenon itself evolves, using increasingly more advanced manipulation techniques. Hence the need for broad education efforts, which will help society counteract its consequences.”
The campaign identifies three aspects of online troll activity: causing panic and spreading fear, polarizing society, and sowing distrust of public institutions.
A page dedicated to the campaign on NASK’s website contains practical pointers on how to recognize fake news, analyze their sources and report them to appropriate state institutions.
“Fighting disinformation is not only a task for the state. It is an important social issue that everyone should pay attention to,” said Paweł Olszewski, a deputy digital affairs minister. “We want to get the citizens to not only reject false narratives but also to actively eliminate them from the public sphere. We provide the tools to do that and a way to report [disinformation].”
The campaign’s trolls are depicted as mean-spirited and dangerous but at the same time petty. Their depiction, the creators of the campaign say, is intended to cause unease while at the same time mock their actions.
“The mean-spirited and not particularly bright individuals reveal themselves to us in their full glory,” said Ireneusz Stankiewicz of the Fabryka Komunikacji Społecznej, a company tasked with preparing the campaign.
