Nicusor Dan Plans to Shut Down Disinformation Websites Following Moldova’s Example

Romanian President Nicusor Dan gave an interview to the Polish press, stating that he might follow Moldova’s model and shut down certain websites that spread disinformation. “The authorities in the Republic of Moldova are much better than ours.” During the interview, the journalist asked Dan how he plans to stop disinformation in the upcoming elections, reports hotnews.ro. “I think there are two points. First, I don’t have a complete answer right now, but technically I know that the authorities in the Republic of Moldova are much better than ours. They ultimately shut down websites linked to disinformation, and we want to do the same. Of course, we will always have questions about the balance, about freedom of expression. Secondly, there is the question of people’s trust in the authorities, which we need to restore,” Nicusor Dan replied. He also stated that in the second round of the presidential elections, in which he defeated George Simion, the “misinformed” vote was opposed by a “massive mobilization of society” that supported a pro-European path. What happened in the Republic of Moldova In the fall of 2024, the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) of the Republic of Moldova shut down seven websites that posed “risks to national security”. The SIS contacted electronic communication providers with a request to block access for users in the Republic of Moldova to the website nuacum.eu, which called on people to vote against the referendum on Moldova’s accession to the European Union. The other six websites were Russian: ng.ru, gazetacrimea.ru, crimea.gov.ru, crimea.ria.ru, crimea24tv.ru, and ria.ru – the website of one of Russia’s largest state news agencies. This decision by the SIS was not the first. In 2023, ahead of the local elections, the SIS decided to block dozens of websites that, according to the agency, posed a “danger” to Moldova’s information space.