Madam BSPC President,
Distinguished colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

One Person, One Profile – A New Tool Against Disinformation and Bot Networks

The Baltic Sea region has long stood for democracy, openness, and trust. Today, however, these values face a growing challenge from disinformation, coordinated influence operations, and the abuse of social media platforms. Disinformation is no longer merely an issue of online debate. It has become a security issue, a democratic resilience issue, and increasingly a question of national preparedness.

Across Europe, we have witnessed how foreign actors and organized networks use fake accounts, bot armies, and manipulated content to distort public discussion, undermine trust in institutions, and polarize our societies. The countries of the Baltic Sea region are particularly exposed to these threats due to our geopolitical environment and our strategic importance. We therefore have a shared responsibility to strengthen our democratic defenses.

One of the fundamental weaknesses of today’s social media environment is the ease with which false identities can be created. A single actor may operate hundreds or even thousands of fake accounts. Such networks can artificially amplify messages, spread disinformation, harass individuals, and influence public opinion while remaining largely anonymous.

In the Finnish Parliament, I have submitted a parliamentary motion proposing that strong electronic identification be utilized when creating personal social media accounts. The principle is simple: every personal account should be linked to a verified individual. This would not mean eliminating anonymity from public debate. Users could still choose what information they reveal publicly. The platform would merely know that the account belongs to a real and unique person.

Such a model could significantly reduce fake profiles, make large-scale bot operations more difficult, strengthen age verification, and improve the ability of authorities to address criminal activity online. In addition, stronger identity verification could help prevent serious online crimes, including the grooming of children and the spread of harmful deepfake pornography. Such offences often depend on false identities and a lack of accountability. By reducing anonymity for those who seek to exploit others, we can improve both public safety and the protection of vulnerable groups, particularly children and young people. Most importantly, it would increase trust in digital public discourse. Citizens should be able to participate in democratic debate knowing that they are interacting with genuine people and not coordinated networks designed to manipulate them.

Finland is currently developing a national digital identity wallet in line with broader European efforts. This provides an important opportunity. Instead of creating entirely new systems, we should explore how trusted digital identity solutions could be used to verify users on major social media platforms while fully respecting privacy and data protection requirements.

However, national measures alone are not enough. Social media companies operate globally, and disinformation campaigns do not respect national borders. That is why the solution must also be European.

The European Union has already taken significant steps through the Digital Services Act, which imposes greater responsibilities on large online platforms regarding systemic risks and the protection of democratic processes. Yet we should go further.

I believe the EU should examine a regulatory framework under which major social media platforms would be required to offer, and in certain high-risk contexts utilize, secure identity verification mechanisms based on trusted digital identities, including the emerging European Digital Identity Wallet. Such a framework should focus on authenticity, transparency, and accountability while safeguarding freedom of expression and privacy.

The question before us is ultimately one of trust. Democracy depends on informed citizens, transparent debate, and confidence in our institutions. If disinformation continues to erode that trust, the costs will be measured not only in online abuse but in weakened democratic resilience.

The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference can help lead this discussion. Together, we can promote closer cooperation against disinformation, support stronger platform accountability, and encourage the development of European solutions for trustworthy digital identity in the online environment.

Let us ensure that the digital public square remains a place for genuine democratic participation rather than manipulation.

Thank you.