The case of possible foreign financing for political advertising is investigated by the Internal Security Agency. NASK has no tools for this – emphasized on Tuesday at the meeting of the parliamentary committee representatives of the Ministry of Digitization and NASK. According to them, arrangements are underway to confirm or exclude the participation of foreign entities.
The parliamentary commission of digitization, innovation and modern technologies listened to the information of the Ministry of Digitization, as well as the scientific and academic computer network (NASK) on cases of disinformation and interference in this year's presidential election campaign in Poland. MPs mainly asked about the NASK information from May 14, which concerned a possible attempt to interfere in the election campaign – it was about political advertising on Facebook, which could be financed from abroad.
This case caused controversy after Wirtualna Polska wrote that behind these political commercials that promoted the candidate Ko Rafał Trzaskowski and attacked his competitors Karol Nawrocki and Sławomir Mentzen, stands the Akcja Democracy Foundation – associated with the Civic Coalition. In the opinion of, among others PiS politicians indicate this illegal financing of the election campaign.
This matter – as Deputy Minister of Digitization Paweł Olszewski reminded on the Commission – is investigated by the Internal Security Agency, which was informed about it on May 10.
“It is there is a property to determine possible capital connections and financial flows. We do not have such tools, NASK does not have such tools. NASK is not a special service that can do it. My knowledge shows that if the relevant state bodies responsible for state security turn to the finish line (the company that owns, among others, Facebook – PAP), then, as the possibility and access to information,” Olszewski.
The deputy head of MC also emphasized the very fact of financing political advertising from abroad, and not real findings in this matter. “I would ask in mind that the findings are currently made that will confirm or exclude the possibility of financing from abroad,” said Olszewski.
“NASK has noticed such a potential possibility and there is no tools for this, because it is not a special service to take certain actions, (while) they are taken and certainly after the end of the election process and the arrangements of the services we will be able to say more” – he added.
Director of NASK Radosław Nielek was, among others When asked on what basis the NASK disinformation analysis center identified political ads on the Facebook platform, which can be financed from abroad. “We, as NASK, carried out our own analyzes, using open sources, combining facts and indicating external entities that in our opinion were involved in the organization of this undertaking,” answered Nielek.
He also emphasized that three other and publicly available analyzes indicated the same arrangements. “Regardless of us, based on open sources, just like us other analysts in public space have analyzed and came to the conclusion that it is there, there are foreign marks” – he said.
He also argued that the institution subordinate to him reacted properly because it identified a potential threat, informed the relevant services to clarify the matter and acted transparently, also informing public opinion. In turn, the deputy minister of digitization pointed out that if NASK did not do it, there would be allegations of an attempt to influence the election by concealing information about the possible incident.
The National Electoral Office is also to look at the matter in such a way that – as its representatives announced – it will analyze the reports of election committees as well as possible connections and flows of funds – financial or non -monetary – between them and active entities in the campaign.
“Materials that appear on the Internet or with the help of other media are distributed – to the most part those we see – come from many different entities. It should be remembered that, according to the provisions of the Electoral Code Lorentz.
He also appealed for a return to criminal sanctions – present in Polish law until 2018, if other entities than committees and voters disseminate agitation materials – to influence voters, in particular to vote for the candidates of a specific election committee.
“As the National Electoral Commission draws attention since 2018, the abolition of sanctions for conducting election agitation by entities that should not have been to do this and such sanctions should be restored. (…) conducting electoral agitation by entities other than election committees, which have exclusiveness and possibly through voters lead to the provisions of the electoral Code, both on the origin of funds and the limits of expenditure committees ” – said Lorentz.
In the updated version of the NASK message on May 14, we read that political advertising on Facebook, which can be financed from abroad, were displayed in Poland. In addition, NASK announced that advertising accounts involved in the campaign in the last – from May 14 – seven days have spent more on political materials than any election committee. According to NOK, these actions were supposed to seem to support one of the candidates and discredit others.
“The campaigns implemented by advertising accounts particularly concerned Rafał Trzaskowski, Karol Nawrocki and Sławomir Mentzen” – we read in the press release.
“The analysis indicates a possible provocation. Its purpose could have been acting to the detriment of the candidate allegedly supported by this type of advertisement and the destabilization of the situation before the presidential election. Accounts used to conduct this activity were reported to block Meta. (PAP)
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