UK launches agency to counter Russian disinformation and deepfakes

British Home Secretary Andy Burnham has announced a new anti-disinformation agency, the National Centre for Information Defence, to counter what he calls a "poisonous tide" of hostile information attacks stoking division and sowing despair in the UK. The agency will target networks behind disinformation, which experts say is more effective than chasing individual posts. Russian campaigns range from deepfakes of Tom Cruise to false-flag narratives, while China and Iran also deploy similar tactics, often amplified by far-right influencers. The move follows UK sanctions on Russian entities and warnings of "industrial-scale" information warfare. Studies show AI-generated content is now standard in such campaigns, including chatbot "poisoning" with false stories, while longstanding narratives falsely portray London as dangerous and lawless.