National Centre for Information Defence

The National Centre for Information Defence is a newly announced UK agency established to counter disinformation and deepfakes originating from hostile states, such as Russia. Security chiefs will lead the initiative, which aims to "detect, attribute and disrupt" information attacks that threaten British interests. Andy Burnham, who announced the centre, emphasized the government's duty to address the "poisonous tide" of foreign influence, particularly noting the role of AI in enabling such attacks. The Defence Secretary has clarified that the centre will not target domestic political dissent, focusing instead on foreign threats. This initiative comes in response to a perceived decade-long underestimation of the impact of disinformation on public discourse and national security.