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At a time when foreign powers are extending their influence over our information space, France Télévisions remains fully committed to ensuring universal access to reliable, independent information.
Delphine Ernotte Cunci, Chairwoman and CEO of France Télévisions
What is VIGINUM?
Have you heard of VIGINUM? Often described as France’s shield against foreign digital interference, VIGINUM is a technical service attached to the Secretariat-General for Defence and National Security (SGDSN). Since its creation in July 2021, its mission has been to detect, analyse and characterise attempts at information manipulation orchestrated by foreign state or non-state actors.
Such operations can take many forms - fake websites or accounts, automated and large-scale dissemination of biased content, or even deepfakes, and are designed to destabilise public debate and undermine national unity. To identify them, VIGINUM relies on a multidisciplinary team comprising OSINT analysts (open-source intelligence), digital marketing specialists, as well as researchers in data science, political science and geopolitics.
Thanks to this combination of expertise, VIGINUM has already been able to observe, document and expose several foreign interference operations. These include Matriochka, the pro-Russian disinformation campaign mentioned by Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders, in the latest Méta-Talk, as well as Storm-1516, another Russian operation active since late 2023, with tangible effects on European and French public debate. In short, VIGINUM acts as the State’s expert eye on the digital sphere, monitoring online spaces to detect foreign influence threats as early as possible and neutralise their potential impact on national and European public opinion.
However, in order to alert and inform the general public about these issues—and more specifically about destabilisation and disinformation campaigns—VIGINUM cannot act alone.
In a context marked by the proliferation of information threats, it is essential to build a strong, shared line of defence alongside the media and civil society actors. Partnering with France Télévisions therefore appeared an obvious choice to reach diverse audiences across the entire country. By signing this agreement, we commit to supporting investigative journalism, significantly stepping up our awareness-raising efforts on information threats, and contributing to democratic resilience.
Marc-Antoine Brillant, Head of VIGINUM
France Télévisions & VIGINUM: a dual line of defence through the integration of technical and editorial expertise
Signed on 15 October 2025, the partnership between France Télévisions and VIGINUM is founded on a strong conviction: combating disinformation requires close cooperation between security services and trusted medias. This cooperation is highly operational in nature, taking the form of knowledge-sharing and mutual enrichment.
VIGINUM will contribute its recognised technical expertise by raising awareness among all France Télévisions employees through a series of meetings, with particular attention paid to journalists, who will receive dedicated training. These sessions will focus on identified interference tactics and open-source investigative techniques (OSINT).
In turn, journalists from the Group will share their own expertise and best practices with VIGINUM in the fight against information manipulation.
With VIGINUM’s expertise, our Group is strengthening its commitment to combating manipulation attempts, notably by developing awareness and training initiatives for all audiences. This partnership reaffirms the essential role of public service media in protecting informational and cultural sovereignty—a key national security issue.
Delphine Ernotte Cunci, Chairwoman and CEO of France Télévisions
The primary objective: Strengthening collective resilience against foreign information threats
As France’s leading news media organisation, France Télévisions plays a key role in preventing attacks intended to mislead audiences, spread disinformation or erode public trust. Its partnership with VIGINUM will enable the Group, across its various broadcast platforms and through its Media and Information Literacy initiatives, to act as both a spokesperson and a driving force in this collective fight against foreign information threats.
Supporting younger audiences is a particularly important lever in the national resilience strategy. Through initiatives such as the Tour de France de l'EMI - Media and Information Literacy Tour of France - (launched in partnership with the Ministry of Education), during which France Télévisions teams engage directly with teachers, and via Lumni (its educational platform), soon to be enhanced with new modules for both teachers and students, including a series of educational audiovisual resources dedicated to this issue, France Télévisions is further strengthening its actions against information threats.
In the face of the growing information threat landscape, the alliance between France Télévisions and VIGINUM highlights the importance of joint action between media organisations and public institutions. By combining technical expertise, journalistic rigour and public awareness, this partnership contributes to strengthening democratic resilience and safeguarding public debate.
