THE OFFER INCLUDES TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN TRACK ORGANIZED CAMPAIGNS

Budrys said Lithuanian companies use artificial intelligence to monitor online activity and identify propaganda operations. These systems can look for repeated messages, unusual posting patterns, fake accounts, and groups of accounts that appear to be working together.

Lithuania is also prepared to share its experience in running security operations centers, writing cyber rules, protecting digital government services, and responding to threats that combine online attacks with political pressure.

This type of monitoring can help investigators see that a viral claim is being pushed by a coordinated network rather than spreading naturally. Human analysts are still needed because software can misread satire, political arguments, breaking news, and ordinary mistakes.

LITHUANIA DOES NOT RELY ON GOVERNMENT ALONE

One lesson Budrys offered was to give the main jobs to a small number of institutions. Every agency may have a role, although responsibility for detecting and answering organized campaigns should remain clear.

Lithuania also relies heavily on civil society. Volunteer fact-checkers known as “elves” track suspicious content, check claims, expose falsehoods, and identify accounts or websites that repeatedly spread pro-Kremlin propaganda.

Some volunteers work with Debunk.org, an independent Lithuanian group that combines automated monitoring with human review. Its volunteers check content missed or wrongly classified by the automated system.

The Philippine government cannot simply copy this model. Local fact-checkers, journalists, researchers, schools, and civic groups would need independence and the freedom to question government claims as well.

COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES HAS ALREADY STARTED

The offer did not come from a first meeting between strangers. The Philippines and Lithuania signed a defense cooperation agreement in June 2025 covering cybersecurity, maritime security, defense industries, and other shared concerns.

Lithuanian experts later trained Filipino cybersecurity personnel, including representatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. A Philippine delegation is also expected to visit Lithuania in September 2026 for meetings with government agencies and specialists.

The two countries have discussed cooperation through the Amber Mist cybersecurity exercise and Balikatan. Lithuania’s latest proposal could add training on disinformation tracking, coordinated online operations, and communication during a cyber or national security emergency.

THE PHILIPPINES ALREADY HAS ITS OWN ANTI-DISINFORMATION PROGRAM

The Presidential Communications Office, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and Department of Justice signed an agreement in April 2026 creating a coordinated response to false information, disinformation, and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes.

Under Oplan Kontra Fake News, the communications office documents suspected networks, the technology department handles technical support and cyber protection, and the justice department reviews possible violations of existing laws. The government is also working with news organizations, schools, and civil society on verification and media literacy.

Lithuania’s contribution could improve the technical side, especially the early detection of coordinated accounts and foreign campaigns. It could also help Philippine agencies divide their jobs more clearly.

Technology will not solve poor government communication. False claims spread more easily when agencies release incomplete information, answer slowly, or contradict one another.

THE SAME TOOLS COULD BE ABUSED AGAINST CRITICS

Disinformation involves deliberate deception. It is different from an honest mistake, an unproven report, satire, criticism, or a political opinion that the government dislikes.

That distinction becomes important when the government helps operate monitoring systems. Officials could use the language of fighting fake news to target journalists, activists, opposition figures, or ordinary citizens who challenge official statements.

International guidance calls for cooperation among governments, independent media, researchers, private companies, and civil society. It also stresses the protection of free expression and access to many sources of information.

Any Philippine program using Lithuanian technology should have written rules on what may be monitored, how a campaign is identified, who may see the information, how long data may be kept, and how a person can challenge a wrong finding.