The UK Government has announced plans to establish a new National Centre for Information Defence to tackle disinformation, deepfakes and other forms of hostile state-backed information attacks. Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the centre will work to detect, attribute and disrupt campaigns designed to undermine democratic institutions and public trust.
The new centre is expected to bring together expertise from intelligence agencies, law enforcement bodies, government departments and social media companies. Alongside responding to threats, it will support efforts to strengthen public resilience to online misinformation and improve the UK’s ability to counter information warfare.
Burnham warned that advances in artificial intelligence are likely to increase the scale and sophistication of disinformation campaigns, making it easier to create and distribute convincing false content. He argued that governments must take a more proactive approach to protecting citizens and democratic systems from such threats.
