Surfshark has said it is proud to have backed Disinfo2026 after the EU’s diplomatic service, Canada and Lithuania pulled out of the event following political pressure.
On Thursday, the VPN issued a statement explaining its decision to continue sponsoring the annual event, which tackles disinformation and online deception, despite government sponsors withdrawing their support.
As further evidence of its commitment to intellectual freedom, the VPN – one of the beston the market – emphasised the importance of safeguarding the free exchange of ideas. “Open debate must never be silenced. It is essential for building a safer internet,” stressed the VPN.
A diplomatic issue
Organised by independent Brussels-based non-profit EU Disinfo Lab and held at a hotel in Vilnius, Lithuania, the two-day conference brought together hundreds of researchers, journalists, technologists and policymakers to collaborate on countering disinformation.
As reported by the Guardian, the Trump administration had pressured several countries to withdraw their sponsorship from the conference, prompting Canada, Lithuania, and the EU’s diplomatic service to retract their backing a few days before the event took place.
According to documents seen by the newspaper, the pressure centred on a panel discussion in which the US was reportedly regarded as “a foreign information threat.” The debate focused on how the European community, committed to combating disinformation, can strengthen its resilience without Washington; three US speakers took part in the debate, including a former CIA official.
After the countries said in a statement that the conference programme “didn’t align with their official views on the US role in disinformation,” a series of logos – including those of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – were taken down from the event website.
The logos were removed from the event’s signage at such short notice that organisers had no time to replace it and had to improvise a quick fix, with official conference materials being left bearing white stickers covering the logos of the departing sponsors, as photos circulating online show.
Lithuania, Canada, and EEAS pulled out of #Disinfo2026 at such short notice they didn’t have time to redo the signage.
— @eliothiggins.bsky.social (@eliothiggins.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-10-09T14:03:51.262Z
Supporting independent research
However, Surfshark’s logo remained visible. The VPN provider said that independent research and open debate are essential to its mission of protecting people’s digital lives. “We will continue supporting the communities working to keep the internet open and secure,” it said.
During the event, the VPN presentedresearch carried out in collaboration with students from Malmö University. The study revealed that over half of those surveyed are unable to identify bots or distinguish between social media accounts generated by AI and those managed by real people, leaving them vulnerable to digital threats. It also highlighted how false content contributes to creating a climate of mistrust, disinformation and hostile and malicious online environments.
Recent research by Surfshark also found that more than 6.3 billion fake accounts are removed from major social media platforms annually, and AI only exacerbates the problem, facilitating scams involving identity theft, fraudulent calls, financial fraud and disinformation spreading.
In this context, Surfshark emphasised that fostering open debate remains crucial for raising public awareness of these issues, regardless of diplomatic complexities. “We believe that independent forums examining digital threats must continue to exist – regardless of geopolitical sensitivities – because cybersecurity concerns everyone, and digital risks know no borders,” the VPN said.
