A smartphone screen shows a portrait of Elon Musk from the NM Space Museum website, with an image of Donald Trump visible in the background.
Germany braces for ‘Meddling mania’: nearly 90% fear foreign interference in upcoming vote.
Credit: Shutterstock, Hadrian
Germans are on red alert for foreign fiddling in their next federal election, set for February 23. A shock new survey has revealed a whopping 88% of voters fear outside interference from governments or nefarious groups, with Russia and the US topping the list of likely meddlers – and China lurking close behind.
The shocking stats
The poll, conducted by Brussels-based digital industry association Bitkom, quizzed more than 1,000 eligible voters on their worries about foreign manipulation. Here’s the staggering breakdown:
Overall concern: 88% of respondents fear shady attempts to sway the vote.
Top suspects: Russia (45%), the US (42%), China (26%) and East European actors (8%).
How Germans form opinions: 82% talk to friends and family, 76% tune in to television, and 69% rely on the internet.
With social media in the spotlight, a third of respondents who use the internet as a news source admitted they’ve already stumbled across misinformation about the upcoming vote.
The dragon’s lair: China’s creeping influence
While Russia’s rumoured ‘troll farms‘ and the US’s hands-off social media approach hog headlines, China also made the poll’s top three as a perceived threat. Experts say it’s well-known for digital espionage, hacking and infiltration of political parties. We’ve already seen how Chinese spies infiltrated the aftermath of Spain’s DANA disaster.
The far-right AfD (again) looms large in this tale of intrigue: it’s been rocked by scandals involving a Chinese spy working in an office of one of its top politicians. Questions have also been raised about an unholy Chinese-Russian alliance swirling around the AfD.
Right, left and everything in between
When Bitkom asked voters about domestic threats, 66% expressed concern about the AfD’s brazen social media push to woo young voters. An overwhelming 87% believe society at large needs to do more to confront the far-right, with 78% saying the same about the far-left.
And if you’re worried about who gains most from these online shout-fests, you’re not alone: 79% of voters say populists reap the biggest rewards from social media’s echo chambers.
The meddling ‘Musk effect’
When it comes to foreign actors, few figures cast as long a shadow as Elon Musk. The world’s richest man – and Donald Trump’s biggest single donor – has been flexing his outsized influence on his social media platform, X (formerly Twitter). In early January, Musk, who boasts a jaw-dropping 216 million followers, took the stage with AfD leader Alice Weidel for a one-hour live chat. He’s also openly mocked German leaders and hailed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as the country’s “only hope.”
Has Elon Musk ushered in a new era where anyone with enough money – regardless of political experience – can influence elections? Should we be concerned about this?
Have your say in the comments below.
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