No known threats of disinformation in the Swedish EU election

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Ahead of the upcoming EU elections and the risk of disinformation, mainly from Russia, the government on Wednesday summoned the Riksdag’s party leaders to the National Security Council to inform and discuss the problem.

– There are no known immediate threats to Sweden in particular. But this can quickly change, said Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson after the meeting.

Kristersson urged all parties in the EU election to self-discipline to avoid quickly running on information that may turn out to be completely incorrect.

– If things happen, which seem completely improbable, it may be because they have not happened. That it is untrue, Kristersson said.

Also present at the meeting with the party leaders were the Electoral Authority, the national security advisor, and the Agency for Psychological Defense.

The electoral authority judged itself to be well prepared to conduct the EU elections.

– We feel well prepared. Despite that, you know that it is not possible to protect yourself 100 percent against a powerful IT attack, said Anna Nyqvist, head of office at the Electoral Authority, and added that since previous elections have been exposed to cyber attacks, the authority expects that this time as well. However, she judged that someone could manipulate the election results themselves “as difficult if not impossible” with reference to the fact that the voting system was robust and decentralized.

Hack-and-leak operationer

One method that can cause some damage is so-called hack-and-leak operations that are carried out to steal sensitive documents or to plant fake documents. Information that is then published as late as possible before election day, to create confusion and reduce the possibility of a counter-image.

– [Hack-and-leak operationer är det] single biggest threat, with the greatest potential to influence the election result, said Henrik Landerholm, Sweden’s national security adviser. He received approval from Magnus Hjort, director general of the Agency for Psychological Defense.

– I can only agree that it is a serious problem, but we are not worried. This is what we are working with and are prepared for, said Magnus Hjort.

Early voting in Sweden begins on 22 May and election day is 9 June 2024.