Latest news with #KrzysztofGawkowski
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Poland asks EU to probe Grok over ‘offensive,' ‘erratic' statements
July 10 (UPI) -- Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski asked the EU to investigate Grok, the AI chatbot integrated into the X social media platform. Gawkowski penned a letter to EU Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen on Wednesday to ask her to open an investigation into Grok's recent "offesnive remarks" and "erratic and full of expletive-laden rants." "There is reason enough to think, that negative effects for the exercise of fundamental rights, were not made by accident, but by design," Krzysztof wrote. Comments made by Grok allegedly include posts that celebrate Hitler, among several other anti-Semitic and hateful statements. X has reportedly taken the posts down. Gawkowski's letter accused X of serving as "a major infringement of the DSA," the EU's Digital Services Act. He also alleged Grok has posted offensive remarks to X users, including offensive comments against the Polish government. "Grok's responses were erratic and full of expletive-laden rants which could be described in many cases as defamation," wrote Gawkowski. In a radio interview Wednesday, he said he also requested that Poland's Digital Services Coordinator investigate as well. European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier commented Wednesday to Euractiv and explained that "Grok is integrated into a designated very large online platform under the DSA." "X therefore has the obligation to assess and mitigate any potential risks stemming from the tool," he added. However, it remains unclear whether a new, separate investigation will take place. "We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove the inappropriate posts. Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X," X said in a post Tuesday. It is also unclear if this post was from an anonymous X employee or Grok itself, but it did continue that "xAI is training only truth-seeking and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Malay Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Poland to report Musk's chatbot Grok to EU for offensive comments including on PM Tusk
WARSAW, July 9 — Poland is going to report Elon Musk's xAI to the European Commission after its chatbot Grok made offensive comments about Polish politicians, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Issues of political biases, hate speech and accuracy of AI chatbots have been a concern since at least the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in 2022. Grok removed what it called 'inappropriate' social media posts yesterday after complaints from X users and the Anti-Defamation League that Grok produced content with antisemitic tropes and praise for Adolf Hitler. A Turkish court earlier blocked access to some content from Grok after authorities said the chatbot generated responses insulting President Tayyip Erdogan, modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and religious values. Poland's digitisation minister, Krzysztof Gawkowski, told RMF FM radio today that the government will ask Brussels to investigate the chatbot's offensive comments about its politicians. 'I have the impression that we are entering a higher level of hate speech, which is driven by algorithms, and that turning a blind eye or ignoring this today... is a mistake that may cost humanity in the future,' he said. 'The Ministry of Digitisation will react in accordance with current regulations, we will report the violation to the European Commission to investigate and possibly impose a fine on X. Freedom of speech belongs to humans, not to artificial intelligence.' The chatbot's developer xAI did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment. — Reuters
Forbes
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Poland's Presidential Election Campaign Faced Unprecedented Russian Interference, Officials Say
A man casts his ballot during the first round of the presidential elections on May 18, 2025 in ... More Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by) Poland faced a large-scale campaign of foreign interference during its recent presidential election, with coordinated efforts by Russia and Belarus to spread disinformation, undermine public trust, and influence political outcomes, according to government officials and cybersecurity experts. In May, Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said Poland was subjected to 'unprecedented' attempts by Russia to interfere in the election. These included disinformation campaigns and hybrid attacks on critical infrastructure intended to 'paralyze the normal functioning of the state.' He also noted that Russian military intelligence activity in Poland had doubled compared to the previous year. Between January and mid-May, Poland's Research and Academic Computer Network (NASK) identified over 10,000 social media accounts disseminating disinformation aimed at swaying the election. Around 400 accounts were found to be linked to the Social Design Agency, a Kremlin-funded, EU-sanctioned Russian organization involved in disinformation campaigns. The accounts promoted content echoing 'the narrative of the Russian Federation's psychological and informational apparatus,' NASK said in a statement. Some of the disinformation materials targeted a specific presidential candidate, although NASK declined to disclose which one. Identical messaging and visuals were also found on Telegram channels previously identified as participating in Russian disinformation campaigns. Gawkowski also pointed to unauthorized Facebook ad campaigns valued at 'hundreds of thousands of zlotys' that targeted presidential candidates but were not registered with any official election committee. A recent report by the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) and Alliance4Europe detailed how Radio Belarus, the Polish-language branch of Belarus's state-run Belteleradio, ran a digital influence campaign to discredit the Polish election. Using platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, X, and Facebook, the broadcaster promoted messages questioning the legitimacy of the vote, endorsing some candidates while attacking others. According to the report, Radio Belarus used manipulative techniques to portray establishment candidates as aligned with foreign interests, criticize Poland's support for Ukraine, and boost lesser-known anti-establishment figures. By early May, the outlet had published more than 7,790 posts and videos, generating more than 16 million views and at least 542,000 engagements. Martyna Hoffman, a co-author of the report, says that while TikTok proactively used geofencing to block access to Radio Belarus's harmful content in Poland, YouTube failed to take meaningful action, issuing only standard rejections to user reports. Belarus, widely regarded as a Russian satellite state, has consistently supported the Kremlin's disinformation campaigns. The country allowed its territory to be used during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and frequently amplifies pro-Russian messaging. In its Country Risk Election Assessment, Alliance4Europe warned that Russia and Belarus have been exploiting domestic political divisions in Poland, particularly around judicial reforms, migration and civil rights, to undermine public trust in democratic institutions. The group identified five major disinformation narratives pursued by Russia, including anti-Ukraine, anti-migrant, and anti-EU/NATO messaging. The assessment also documented several coordinated operations in the lead-up to the election. One cyberattack targeted the Civic Platform party's computer systems and was linked to Russian sources. Another involved the Polish branch of the Pravda network, which republishes content from sanctioned Russian media. Russian intelligence also attempted to recruit Polish citizens via the dark web, offering payments in exchange for spreading pro-Russian propaganda. One campaign, dubbed Operation Overload, involved impersonating news outlets to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election. Another, known as the Doppelganger campaign, distorted Polish news stories and mimicked legitimate sources on platforms such as X and Facebook, using fake accounts to distribute misleading content. As part of a broader strategy to counter Russian disinformation and hybrid threats in Europe, the European Union banned 18 media outlets accused of deliberately spreading Kremlin-backed narratives about the war in Ukraine. In May, the bloc unveiled a new sanctions package targeting individuals and entities linked to the Kremlin's hybrid warfare efforts, including those spreading Russian disinformation on social media. Aleksandra Wójtowicz, a new technologies and digitalization analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, says social media platforms made noticeably less effort to combat disinformation during this election compared to Poland's 2023 parliamentary vote. 'TikTok took a more ambitious approach, but overall, fact-checking labels and links to reliable sources were largely missing,' she adds. Poland has responded to the growing Russian threat by bolstering its cybersecurity infrastructure, including the launch of a one billion zloty (approximately $260 million) Artificial Intelligence Fund. The initiative, backed by Poland's defense and digital affairs ministries, is designed to boost cyber defenses and develop dual-use technologies to counter hybrid threats. However, a recent report by a commission investigating Russian and Belarusian influence found that Poland's counter-disinformation efforts in recent years have been "insufficient, ad hoc, inconsistent, and often superficial." In 2024 alone, Poland recorded more than 600,000 cyber incidents attributed to Russian actors, a 60% year-over-year increase. 'There is no other country within the European Union facing similar threats,' Gawkowski said.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poland detects foreign-funded election ads amid fears of Russian interference
Poland's National Research Institute (NASK) has detected an alleged attempt to influence the upcoming presidential election through political advertisements on Facebook, the agency said in a May 14 statement. The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign. According to NASK, the political ads appear to be funded from abroad and were not linked to any registered election committee. Over the past week, the accounts behind these ads reportedly outspent all official campaign teams, targeting candidates across the political spectrum. "The actions were ostensibly to support one candidate and discredit others... The analysis indicates a possible provocation," NASK said. Investigations into the origin and financing of the ads are ongoing. The discovery adds to mounting concerns that Russia is executing a broad interference campaign in Poland's May 18 election, echoing similar efforts seen in Romania's 2024 vote. The election pits a range of candidates against each other, including Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, Poland 2050 leader Szymon Holownia, ruling Law and Justice party-backed Karol Nawrocki, and far-right candidate Slawomir Mentzen. Some contenders have been criticized for remarks or positions seen as aligning with Moscow's interests. Mentzen has ties to nationalist circles known for opposing Poland's pro-Western trajectory. Poland has been a frontline supporter of Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, providing Kyiv with military equipment, economic aid, and logistical support. Its firm pro-Ukrainian stance has made it a consistent target of Russian cyberattacks, propaganda, and sabotage operations. Read also: Exclusive: Ukraine eyes new sanctions on China, but Kyiv wary of peace talks fallout We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Japan Times
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Poland says Russia is trying to interfere in presidential election
Poland is facing an unprecedented attempt by Russia to interfere in its presidential election, the digital affairs minister said on Tuesday, as the first round of voting looms on May 18. Poland says its role as a hub for aid to Ukraine has made it a target for Russian sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation, and it has been on high alert for interference, especially after Romania canceled a presidential election in December due to alleged Russian meddling. "During the current presidential elections in Poland, we are facing an unprecedented attempt to interfere in the electoral process from the Russian side," Krzysztof Gawkowski told a defense conference. "This is being done ... (by) spreading disinformation in combination with hybrid attacks on Polish critical infrastructure in order to paralyze the normal functioning of the state." Russia has repeatedly denied accusations that it interferes in foreign elections. Gawkowski said that Polish water and sewage companies, heat and power plants and state administration bodies had all been attacked, and that Russian involvement in such attacks had more than doubled this year. "Today in Poland, during every minute of my speech, a dozen or so incidents targeting critical infrastructure were recorded," he said. The Russian embassy in Warsaw declined to comment on the matter and recommended asking Gawkowski to "provide evidence for his insinuation." Prime Minister Donald Tusk blamed foreign actors for a cyberattack on the IT systems of his Civic Platform party in April. Since last year, Poland has notably reported cyberattacks on its space agency and the state news agency. Warsaw and its allies have also alleged that Moscow is behind acts of arson and sabotage around Europe. Russia dismisses these allegations.
