Paris: France’s foreign ministry has intensified its fight against online misinformation through an English-language X account titled French Response, which has been actively countering what it describes as false or misleading claims from US, Russian and even White House-linked accounts.

The account drew attention this week after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised European culture on X. In response, the French team posted a comparison table highlighting indicators such as life expectancy and student debt, showing the European Union outperforming the United States in several areas. The post was captioned simply: “Our culture.”

According to French foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux, information has become a “new battleground”, prompting France to directly engage online rather than remain silent. The account, run by diplomats, former journalists and fact-checkers, has gained around 100,000 followers since its launch in September.

The platform was particularly active during the World Economic Forum in Davos. French President Emmanuel Macron attracted widespread media attention after appearing in aviator sunglasses, later explained by his team as due to a burst blood vessel. After US President Donald Trump mocked the appearance, French newspapers ran prominent images of Macron, which the French Response account amplified with a post celebrating the coverage.

The account has also directly addressed Russian misinformation. When a Russian user falsely claimed Macron left Davos early to avoid Trump, the French account replied sarcastically, stating it was “another impeccably planned French leave”, noting Macron had not planned to attend that day.

However, experts have warned about the risks of official diplomatic trolling. Ruslan Trad of the Digital Forensic Research Lab said adopting provocative tactics could blur the line between democratic institutions and disinformation actors, potentially undermining credibility.

Earlier this month, the account also reacted to a US user’s claim that America would “easily take over France” after conquering Greenland and Canada. Referencing the Statue of Liberty, France’s historic gift to the US, the account joked that the statue had been spotted “swimming back across the Atlantic”.

French officials say the approach is designed to defend facts while engaging audiences in an increasingly hostile online information environment, where disinformation campaigns have become a key tool of geopolitical influence.
(With AFP inputs)