Caroline Rabourdin is a 4th-year PhD candidate in Communication Sciences, in partnership with the Doctoral Program of Defense and Homeland Security at the University of Aix-Marseille (France). She focuses on information warfare, particularly on informational threats like disinformation. She is the CEO of Pulpe de Com, a consultancy that helps companies counter disinformation. She is also an expert in strategic intelligence, a professor, and a former journalist for national media. She is a member of several French national commissions working on information warfare. Last year, she gave a talk at the Trust & Safety Research Conference at Stanford University.

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Social media is one of the tools used in information warfare, especially in online disinformation. As in other countries, France is facing a flood of malicious disinformation. These disinformation campaigns aim to destabilize elections, undermine trust and confidence in government and political institutions, and reduce France’s influence. The rise in global tensions has increased the risk for the country to become involved in online manipulation, especially on social media.

Despite the considerable stakes, the perspectives of French information warfare experts regarding social media as a cyber threat against democracy are unknown. To fill this gap, we interviewed 11 experts using the qualitative methodology of semi-structured interviews and the theory of social representations. Participants came from the defense sector, intelligence, academia, the private sector, and state departments. This proposed session intends to help the audience understand how social media is perceived in France among these experts, and how the country is preparing to face disinformation campaigns on social media.

According to experts, at the defense level, France’s Department of Defense is equipping itself and increasing its capacities for detecting and reacting to online manipulation. Tools and commissions are being developed.

At the government level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is addressing disinformation on social media. French digital diplomacy is improving and becoming more structured. However, content removal, for the French government, is an issue. French institutions have good relations with Facebook and X, but TikTok remains a challenge.

Experts all agree that French companies demonstrate a lack of understanding of corporate information warfare, especially the offensive use of social media. According to experts, even though organizations are facing online disinformation campaigns, they aren’t ready for them.

France must raise its awareness and learn from big tech companies to increase its understanding and collaboration, and then educate French companies, and citizens about online manipulation targeting its democracy.