Minister of Digitalization and Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski has accused social media platforms of acting as “silent allies” of Russia in a “digital war” and warned of financial penalties for ignoring the demands of Polish authorities.
The statements came against the backdrop of data from Poland’s National Research Institute NASK. In the first half of 2026, the institute sent platforms more than 65,000 reports concerning fake accounts and disinformation. Platforms took action on fewer than a quarter of the reports: about 7% of the material was deleted and slightly more than 17% was moderated. According to estimates, up to 76% of the reports (roughly 50,000) received no response.
“A digital war with Russia is underway, and within this digital war there is a disinformation front. On this front, Russian bots and the Kremlin’s GRU have a silent ally — social media platforms,” Gawkowski said at a press conference. According to him, the platforms “are doing nothing” and treat disinformation as a source of revenue.
The minister demanded that the companies immediately establish effective Polish-language moderation teams based in Poland and maintaining a direct link with NASK and Polish special services. He also called for the elimination of “sham” appeals procedures, the prompt removal of identified bot networks and disinformation advertising, and shorter response times to reports. Failure to comply with state demands, he said, would serve as grounds for proceedings to impose multimillion fines.
This is not the first strong statement by Gawkowski directed at the platforms. He has previously criticized them for insufficient responses to harmful content and demanded faster moderation, including in the context of protecting children and combating disinformation as part of hybrid threats.
