Technology
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Digital distrust and polarisation: analyst finds no Facebook collapse after Russian data centre attacks
On a France 24 Spotlight segment hosted by François Picard on 13 October 2026, Valdemar Osted of Danish digital consultancy Common Consultancy disputed claims that attacks on Russian data centres caused a sudden collapse in online engagement among Donald Trump supporters and Germany's AfD, arguing digital distrust and polarisation deserve closer scrutiny.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 13, 2026
• 2 Min Read
No unusual decline in Facebook interactions
Valdemar Osted, partner and head of technology at Common Consultancy, pushed back against widely circulated claims that the attacks had triggered an abrupt drop in online engagement. His review drew on social media monitoring and research into inauthentic behaviour.
According to Osted, the monitoring showed no unusual decline in Facebook interactions following the attacks, undercutting the narrative that supporters of Donald Trump or the AfD had abruptly gone quiet online.
Bots are real, but not proof of electoral influence
Osted did not deny that Russian influence operations and disinformation campaigns exist. His caution was about interpretation: he warned against confusing the existence of social media bots with evidence of meaningful electoral influence.
How suspicion erodes trust in democracy
For Osted, the deeper risk lies in what repeated manipulation claims do to public confidence. He argued that even limited disinformation can wear down democratic trust over time.
The mere presence of even a small amount of misinformation or disinformation can, over time, erode trust in democracy and our institutions
He framed the democratic danger as extending beyond foreign interference itself, pointing instead to growing suspicion that undermines public confidence in political discourse. The segment left open the question he raised: whether widespread fear of deception can itself lead to democratic destabilisation when allegations of manipulation are pervasive.
The discussion, hosted by François Picard, was issued on 13 October 2026.
