The Chaillot Paper Hacking Minds and Machines. Foreign Interference in the Digital Era, published by the European Union Institute for Strategic Studies, delves into the phenomenon of foreign interference and the risk it poses to democratic societies. It explores the interplay between information manipulation and disruptive cyber operations, revealing their role as complementary components within a broader strategy. Dedicated chapters examine how interference manifests across various sectors, including social, political, economic, digital and security domains, describing existing tools and evolving policy responses.
Dr. Rumena Filipova’s chapter highlights how pro-Kremlin actors match virtual disinformation with on-the-ground protest activity and social unrest in the attempt to undermine democracy in Bulgaria and the country’s European integration. Thus, contrary to established conceptions of protests as key elements in the democratization process, mass mobilization is shown to serve authoritarian actors’ purposes.