Surfshark says it is proud to have backed Disinfo2026

Surfshark says it is proud to have continued sponsoring Disinfo2026 after the EU’s diplomatic service, Canada and Lithuania withdrew their support under political pressure. The VPN provider said open debate and independent research are central to its work protecting people’s digital lives.

The two-day conference, organised by Brussels-based non-profit EU Disinfo Lab, was held at a hotel in Vilnius, Lithuania. It brought together hundreds of researchers, journalists, technologists and policymakers to discuss responses to disinformation. The Guardian reported that the Trump administration pressured several countries to withdraw sponsorship. Documents seen by the newspaper linked the pressure to a panel that reportedly described the US as “a foreign information threat.”

After the withdrawals, logos for Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European External Action Service and Global Affairs Canada were removed from the event website. Conference signage still bore white stickers covering the sponsors’ logos. Surfshark’s logo remained visible.

At the event, Surfshark presented research conducted with students from Malmö University. The study found that over half of respondents could not identify bots or distinguish AI-generated social media accounts from accounts managed by real people. Surfshark also cited separate research finding that more than 6.3 billion fake accounts are removed from major social media platforms each year. It said AI worsens related risks, including identity theft, fraudulent calls, financial fraud and disinformation.

Surfshark said it would continue supporting independent forums examining digital threats, arguing that cybersecurity concerns everyone and digital risks cross borders.