Managing Misinformation in Digital Democracy

🧵 New report just dropped 🚨 "Fractured Reality: How Democracy Can Win the Global Struggle Over the Information Space" — from the EU Joint Research Centre, led by Mario Scharfbillig and I. A landmark read for anyone working on disinformation, platforms & democracy. 👇 1/10 The core problem: the attention economy. Platforms maximise engagement, not truth. Algorithms reward negative, emotional & divisive content — not because of malice, but because that's what keeps eyes on screen. Democracy pays the price. 2/10 Disinformation has evolved. We've moved beyond isolated false claims to a "Fantasy-Industrial Complex" — a loosely coordinated ecosystem that floods the zone with distrust, distraction & anti-democratic sentiment. The goal isn't to convince — it's to confuse. 3/10 Key stat: misinformation exposure hovers around 1–10% of civic content online, rising to 10–30% for contentious topics \(climate, health, Russia/Ukraine\). And 47% of older adults hold misinformed beliefs about health issues. Scale matters. 4/10 Generative AI is amplifying this further. While evidence it's been a "game changer" in elections is still limited, it creates the illusion of knowledge — especially when blended with social media. The threat is real, even if still emerging. 5/10 The report's first fix: don't blame users. Blaming individuals for being misinformed is a misdiagnosis. We need systemic reform — better platform design, crowdsourced knowledge \(like Wikipedia\), media literacy, and fact-checking that actually reaches people. 6/10 Second fix: reform the business model. Proposals include a progressive digital advertising tax, interoperability & in-situ data rights so users can choose their own algorithms. As long as misinformation is profitable, it will persist. 7/10 Third fix: EU digital sovereignty. Most major platforms are foreign-owned & may not share European democratic values. The report backs decentralised alternatives — think Mastodon, FediVerse, Eurosky — and calls for a "European CERN for Data & Democracy." 8/10 77% of experts surveyed call the current trajectory — a "struggle for information supremacy" — harmful. Only 3% see it as beneficial. The solutions exist. The political will is what's needed. 9/10 Launched today at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit. Read the full report 👇 https://sks.to/fractured @scharfbillig.bsky.social @sachaltay.bsky.social @https://lnkd.in/eihFADYN @sebavalenz.bsky.social @ulliecker.bsky.social @michaelemann.bsky.social @naomioreskes.bsky.social 10/10

Navigating the Maze of Truth In a world where alternative facts often muddy the waters of truth, how can individuals and communities stay resilient and well-prepared for the challenges they face? As misinformation spreads and reliable news sources are sometimes overshadowed by sensationalism, maintaining resilience becomes not just a matter of personal vigilance but a collective responsibility. 1. Develop Critical Thinking Skills - In an era where alternative facts can easily infiltrate public discourse, honing critical thinking skills is essential. This means questioning the credibility of sources, cross-referencing information with multiple reputable outlets, and analyzing the motives behind the information being presented. Encourage a mindset that doesn’t just accept information at face value but actively seeks verification. 2. Prioritize Media Literacy - Educate yourself and others about media literacy. Understanding how media works, recognizing bias, and differentiating between fact-based journalism and opinion pieces are crucial skills. Schools, workplaces, and community organizations should incorporate media literacy training to empower individuals to navigate complex information landscapes effectively. 3. Seek Out Reliable Sources - Identify and rely on reputable news sources that adhere to strict journalistic standards. These sources prioritize accuracy, fairness, and transparency. Create a diverse media diet by following established institutions and experts in relevant fields. Avoid echo chambers by engaging with a variety of perspectives while focusing on sources known for their reliability. 4. Verify Information Before Sharing - Before sharing information on social media or within your community, take a moment to verify its authenticity. Use fact-checking websites and tools to confirm details and debunk myths. By being a responsible consumer and sharer of information, you contribute to reducing the spread of misinformation and helping others stay informed. 5. Advocate for Transparency and Accountability - Support and advocate for transparency and accountability in media and information sources. Encourage media outlets and public figures to adhere to high standards of accuracy and honesty. Demand accountability from those who spread misinformation and promote a culture of truthfulness in public discourse. Our collective resilience depends on our ability to discern truth from fiction. Equip yourself with the tools to critically evaluate information and promote media literacy in your community. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and together, let’s build a more resilient and informed society. #StayResilient #CriticalThinking #MediaLiteracy #VerifyBeforeYouShare #TruthMatters

Disinformation is a "wicked problem"—complex, multi-faceted, and challenging to counter without risking unintended consequences. Tackling it with a “do no harm” policy approach requires nuanced, adaptable strategies that respect freedom of expression and reinforce the foundations of democratic governance. In my mid-career Master’s in Public Policy at Princeton School of Public and International Affairs I've encountered this excellent Carnegie Endowment for International Peace policy guide. It offers actionable, balanced approaches based on evidence and case studies that can truly boost policy approaches to counter disinformation. 💡 Key strategies include: Empowering Local Journalism: When local news sources disappear, disinformation spreads like wildfire. Strengthening local journalism revives civic trust, keeps communities informed, and builds a first line of defense against disinformation. #DemocracyDiesInDarkness Building Media Literacy: Teaching critical media skills across communities and schools equips individuals to spot manipulation and build resilience against false information. Prioritizing Transparency with Fact-Checking: Going beyond labels, fact-checking that promotes transparency enables audiences to make informed choices, fostering trust without policing beliefs. Adjusting Algorithms & Limiting Microtargeting: Creating healthier online spaces by limiting microtargeted ads and rethinking algorithms reduces echo chambers while respecting autonomy. Counter-Messaging with Local Voices: Developing counter-messaging strategies that engage trusted community voices enables us to challenge false narratives effectively and authentically. These approaches are essential for defending open dialogue, strengthening governance, and supporting sustainable development. It's all hands on deck! https://lnkd.in/egKKmAqh 🌐 #Disinformation #DoNoHarm #LocalJournalism #FreedomOfExpression #PublicPolicy #CivicTrust cc Melissa Fleming Charlotte Scaddan Rosemary Kalapurakal Alice Harding Shackelford Roberto Valent Allegra Baiocchi (she/her/ella) Danilo Mora Carmen Lucia Morales Liliana Liliana Garavito George Gray Molina Marcos Neto Kersten Jauer

The growth and exploitation of (so-called) “contextual credibility” enables the creation of "alternative realities" and undermines factual discourse. And it is creeping into our business world right now. (Let me tell you about an absurd pitch I just witnessed). To shift back towards credible interactions, we must focus on several key areas. Critical Thinking: We must invest in comprehensive media literacy programs to teach critical evaluation of information, identification of biases, and recognition of manipulation tactics (to all ages and demographics). It's vital to promote source verification by encouraging the use of fact-checking tools and cross-referencing information from reputable sources. Journalistic Standards: Supporting independent investigative journalism that holds power accountable is crucial. We need to advocate for greater transparency in media ownership to reveal potential biases and establish mechanisms to hold misbehaving media outlets accountable for misinformation. Evidence-Based Reasoning: Increasing public understanding of the scientific method and evidence-based reasoning is essential. Fostering open dialogue where diverse perspectives are engaged and evidence-based arguments are promoted is vital. We must also develop strategies to combat misinformation on social media, including fact-checking and user education. (I propose something like eBay’s credibility tool.) Institutions and Legal Frameworks: Protecting the independence of the judiciary is paramount. We should explore legal frameworks addressing harmful misinformation while safeguarding free speech, focusing on laws that target deliberate dissemination of false information. Strengthening freedom of information laws and promoting government transparency is additionally necessary. Critical Thinking in AI Development: Ensuring transparent AI development, preventing AI from spreading misinformation, and developing AI tools for fact-checking and source validation are critical. Training AI/LLMs on garbage misinformation will only create equally corrupt resultant. Combating misinformation requires a multi-faceted approach and a societal shift towards valuing evidence-based reasoning to protect the integrity and progress of humanity.

Cyber Smart from the Start: Defending Finland’s Future in the Classroom Finland has long been celebrated for its world-class education system and commitment to digital innovation. But as technology becomes increasingly entwined with everyday life, new challenges are emerging—especially for the next generation. The rise of misinformation, cyberbullying, and online fraud means that teaching traditional subjects is no longer enough. Today’s students must be equipped with the tools to think critically, act safely, and defend themselves in the digital world. Disinformation campaigns, particularly from hostile foreign actors like Russia, have become more frequent and more sophisticated. These campaigns are not limited to military or political targets—they affect everyday citizens, manipulating emotions, distorting facts, and undermining democratic values. Finnish students must be taught how to recognize propaganda, question suspicious sources, and resist the temptation to share unverified information. But media literacy alone won’t cut it. Our young people also need to understand personal cybersecurity—from using secure passwords and avoiding phishing scams, to managing their online identity and digital footprint. By integrating cybersecurity and disinformation awareness into the national curriculum, we can ensure that Finnish students grow up not just smart, but cyber smart—ready to protect themselves, and their country, from the digital threats of today and tomorrow. #cybersecurity #education #Finland #CyberHygiene #misinformation #disinformation #PrimarySchool #SecondarySchool #privacy #WhyCantWeDoThatHere #democracy

📢 New report out today: "Fractured Reality: How Democracy Can Win the Global Struggle Over the Information Space" led by Stephan Lewandowsky and me.   We launch our report today at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit.   The report argues that most discourse on misinformation has focused on the wrong level of analysis. Individual exposure to false content is real, but relatively contained (1–10% of civic news content). The deeper problem is structural — platforms are engineered to reward engagement, which systematically privileges emotional, divisive and low-quality information aligned with user beliefs. Consequence: Citizens live in different and conflictual realities. But blaming them for being misinformed misses the point.   What's changed recently is the shift from isolated false claims to what we call the "Fantasy-Industrial Complex" — a loosely coordinated ecosystem whose goal isn't to make people believe specific falsehoods, but to generate distrust and erode any sense of shared reality. Generative AI fits neatly into this dynamic.   We provide three levels or recommendations: 📍 Better platform design for individual agency, 📍 Shifting business models away from the attention economy, and 📍 EU digital sovereignty as an enabling factor.   Additionally, deliberative democracy as an online and offline complement to the currently dominant online platforms also worth a look for those working in civic engagement.   Full report: 👇   https://lnkd.in/eY-caT9D #Disinformation #DigitalDemocracy #EUPolicy #PlatformGovernance #EIPM Writen together with wonderful team: Sacha Altay Marshall Van Alstyne Anastasia Kozyreva Ralph Hertwig Philipp Lorenz-Spreen Renee DiResta Sebastián Valenzuela Stefanie Egidy Walter Quattrociocchi Amy Orben Buckley   Of interest to EU Science, Research and Innovation Bernard Magenhann Jolita Butkevičienė David Mair Sven Schade International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) Alan Jagolinzer Gina Neff Naja Bentzen

The rapid rise of AI-generated media - particularly deepfakes and convincingly altered content - brings us to a crossroads in how we interact with information. Suddenly, seeing isn't necessarily believing. This shift raises critical questions: How do we verify what’s real, and how do we address creators' intentions behind such content? Do we just categorize them as creative output? Addressing this challenge likely requires multiple, coordinated approaches rather than a singular solution. One fundamental strategy involves enhancing public media literacy. Teaching ourselves and our communities how to recognize misinformation, critically evaluate sources to help reduce the spread of misleading information. Initiatives like educational campaigns, school programs, and public-service messaging could strengthen our collective defenses against misinformation. Simultaneously, technology companies producing or distributing AI-generated content could implement practical measures to build transparency and trust. For instance: - Clearly watermarking content generated by AI tools. - Requiring upfront disclosures about synthetic or substantially altered media. - Employing specialized authenticity verification technologies. Moreover, adopting clear ethical standards within industries utilizing AI-driven media - similar to those upheld in professional journalism - could encourage greater accountability. Finally, regulatory frameworks will be important - but they must be carefully designed. Excessive restrictions could inadvertently stifle innovation and legitimate expression. Conversely, too little oversight leaves society vulnerable to harmful deepfakes, especially in contexts like elections. Targeted and balanced regulations can minimize harms without impeding creative and productive uses of AI. Where should efforts be prioritized most urgently - strengthening public awareness, establishing clear industry standards, or developing nuanced regulatory policies? #innovation #technology #future #management #startups

I recently wrote a piece for EU DisinfoLab (my first in a while), largely out of a growing sense that our response to disinformation has gone off in the wrong direction. In the piece, I try to explain the two reasons at the heart of it. (1) We've misunderstood the problem. The vast majority of the work in this area describes the problem as 'disinformation' - basically one of truth and lies. It isn't. The things that actually injure democracies are (often hidden) influence campaigns that sometimes use disinformation, but only as part of an array of available tactics. (2) Our responses have therefore focussed on stemming the flood of lies circulating on the Internet. At the expense, I think, of a series of effective ways of making covert influence campaigns more expensive, riskier and less effective. That is what we really need to build out: ways of disrupting the money flows, people, technical infrastructure and access to audiences that these campaigns need. The piece suggests some ways of practically thinking about disrupting illicit influence campaigns, and the different roles different bits of society can play in doing so. https://lnkd.in/enBVsfsJ

Just read an exceptional piece of research by Ashish Kumar Jha (Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin) and Rohit Nishant (Queen's Business School, Queen's University Belfast), published in the Journal of Association for Information Systems. Their paper “Judging a Book by Its Cover: Understanding the Phenomenon of Fake News Propagation from an Evolutionary Psychology Perspective” (https://lnkd.in/g5MJf6TS) offers an insightful and timely contribution to one of today’s most pressing digital-age challenges: the spread of #fake #news. What sets this research apart is its powerful blend of evolutionary psychology, linguistics, and data analytics. Analyzing over 465,000 tweets, the authors uncover a fascinating and underexplored driver of misinformation spread: future temporal orientation (FTO) — that is, how strongly fake news emphasizes the future. Their work demonstrates that fake news often manipulates our innate fear of the unknown, a deeply rooted evolutionary trait, to increase virality. They even show a nuanced inverted U-shaped relationship between the future emphasis in headlines vs. accompanying text and how much fake news gets shared. Beyond theory, Ashish and Rohit provide practical, actionable insights, proposing a framework that platforms and policymakers can use to prioritize fact-checking by identifying content that blends strong negative sentiment with future-focused language. This is a great example of rigorous, interdisciplinary scholarship. Research that not only explains complex digital behavior but also equips society with tools to respond more effectively. A huge congratulations to both authors for advancing the global conversation on misinformation with such clarity and depth.

🔍 Deepfakes and Digital Sovereignty: A European Imperative 🇪🇺 The recent viral spread of a deepfake video falsely depicting U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is a stark reminder of the dangers we face in the digital age. This video, generated using Grok XAI, was shared by Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter), on his platform. The incident underscores how fragile truth can become when powerful technologies fall into the wrong hands, and it highlights a critical issue for Europe: the need to protect our digital sovereignty. As Europe continues to champion democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, we must recognize that our sovereignty is increasingly being challenged not just by traditional geopolitical threats but by digital manipulations that can disrupt our societies from within. The threat posed by deepfakes is just one example of how external actors can wield technology to influence public opinion and electoral outcomes. 🌍 Why European Sovereignty Matters Digital and informational sovereignty are crucial for maintaining our independence and protecting our democratic processes. The European Union has made strides in data protection with initiatives like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but the challenge of deepfakes demands even more comprehensive action. 💡 What Europe Must Do 1. 💻 Invest in AI and Deepfake Detection: Europe needs to lead in developing technologies that can identify and counteract deepfakes. This is not just about protecting our citizens; it’s about ensuring that our democracies cannot be easily manipulated. 2. 📜 Regulate Social Media Platforms: When the CEO of a major social media platform is playing with misinformation and fake news, it’s clear that stricter regulations are necessary. Platforms operating within Europe must be held accountable for the content they host, especially when it comes to preventing the spread of misinformation. 3. 🎓 Promote Media Literacy: Educating our citizens to recognize and resist digital manipulation is essential. A well-informed public is our best defense against the erosion of truth. 4. 🤝 Enhance Cybersecurity Collaboration: European nations need a unified approach to cybersecurity, including combating digital disinformation. This collaboration is key to protecting our shared values. 5. 🔧 Control Digital Infrastructure: Reducing our reliance on non-European digital infrastructure will help safeguard our sovereignty. The Kamala Harris deepfake incident is a global wake-up call, and Europe must respond decisively. By strengthening our digital sovereignty, we can protect our democracies and ensure that our voices, not those of external actors, shape our future. 👉 What steps do you think Europe should take to strengthen its digital sovereignty? Share your thoughts in the comments! #DigitalSovereignty #CyberSecurity #Deepfakes #EU #Innovation #TechForGood #DataProtection #AI #SocialMediaRegulation