“Relatively few people you need to influence to influence the choice in Greenland”
Disinformation is now being spread in Greenland and utilizes sensitive issues to create fragmentation for the upcoming election. Especially the relationship with Denmark is a sore point that is exploited.
“Anyone who wants to divide tends to attack topics where there are already strong emotions and disgust,” says Signe Ravn-Højgaard, head of the Tænketanken Digital Infrastructure.
The Danish think tank Tænketanken Digital Infrastructure has, together with the director of Grönland University and two consulting companies, investigated whether there is a foreign impact in the public conversation on Facebook in Greenland.
The report was released in December, and during the period studied, no signs of foreign influence could be seen. On the other hand, weaknesses were found in the debate about an issue that has long been relevant in Greenland – the relationship with Denmark.
After that, a lot has happened. Donald Trump has expressed his ambitions to take over Greenland, and in early January, son Donald Trump visited Jr.
The relationship with Denmark splits
Since then, Signe Ravn-Højgaard has seen examples of dissemination of disinformation.
– Someone created a false account for Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egee, which Greenland’s government quickly revealed. A Danish parliamentarian has been used in fake news campaigns. We have also seen how US dollars have been distributed in town. So this happens not only on social media, but also more directly. But there is nothing we have studied, she says.
That the disgust about the relationship between Greenland and Denmark is attacked, Signe Ravn-Højgaard does not surprise.
– Anyone who wants to split tends to attack topics in the public debate where there are already strong emotions and disgust. In Greenland, the relationship with Denmark is such a topic. So this is a good goal for anyone who wants to reach their goals through split.
Get people to influence
Later this spring, elections will be held in Greenland, and much is at stake on the huge island in the northern Atlantic, not least geopolitical. Both the US and Russia want natural resources and transport routes that can be important for trade and military purposes.
– It is important to know that only 27,000 people voted in the election in Greenland last time, because there are so few people living there. This means that there are relatively few people you need to influence to influence the choice, says Signe Ravn-Højgaard.
The dissemination of disinformation is also facilitated by the fact that many of the large social media companies have disposed of factors.
– It makes it easier for disinformation to spread. Greenland is small and there are few journalists who can fact review foreign influence and the public conversation. It is thus easier for lies to survive, she says.
It is still unknown exactly who is behind the impact attempts.