"Tackling Disinformation: A Learning Guide is aimed at helping those already working in the field, or directly impacted by the issues, such as media professionals, civil society actors, DW Akademie partners and experts. It offers insights for evaluating media development activities and rethinking ap
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proaches to disinformation, alongside practical solutions and expert advice, with a focus on the Global South and Eastern Europe." (https://akademie.dw.com)
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"This survey focuses on six key aspects related to misinformation: 1) clarify the definition of misinformation to differentiate it from intentional forms of false information; 2) categorize proposed approaches to manage misinformation into three types: detection, verification, and mitigation; 3) rev
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iew the platforms and languages for which these techniques have been proposed and tested; 4) describe the specific features that are considered in each category; 5) compare public datasets created to address misinformation and categorize into prelabeled content-only datasets and those including users and their connections; and 6) survey fact-checking websites that can be used to verify the accuracy of information." (Abstract)
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"Antisemitism Surges Online: Antisemitic content on platforms like X spiked by 919 percent following the October 7 Hamas attacks, spreading hate that deeply affects Jewish users, especially the young. Enhanced moderation systems combining AI and human oversight, along with stricter regulations, are
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needed to curb this surge.
Gaming as a Breeding Ground for Hate: Unmoderated gaming spaces foster antisemitic slurs, memes, and symbols, normalizing hate speech in digital culture. Gaming platforms must implement stronger moderation, promote education, and create inclusive communities.
Anonymity Fuels Toxicity: Anonymous accounts enable users to engage in hate speech without any fear of repercussions, fostering a hostile online environment. Balancing user privacy with accountability through improved tracking and penalties can address this issue.
Algorithms Amplify Hate Speech: Social media algorithms prioritize divisive content, creating echo chambers that spread antisemitism and extremist ideas. Platforms must redesign algorithms to limit harmful content, with oversight and updated laws holding them accountable." (Executive summary)
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"Digital technology has revolutionized how political ads are delivered and consumed, giving political campaigns increased possibilities to target and tailor their messaging to specific audiences—a practice known as political microtargeting (PMT). While PMT has potential benefits for society, it al
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so entails significant risks that have yet to be adequately addressed by regulators around the globe. This report offers fundamental guidance on PMT for policymakers, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders, providing recommendations for action and an overview of possible protective measures. Public discourse has so far mostly focused on PMT cases in the Global North, such as US elections or Brexit, whereas the practice is becoming increasingly adopted worldwide. In lower-income countries, the impact of PMT may be felt even more strongly due to context-specific factors such as lower levels of digital skills and media literacy, higher prevalence of political violence, weaker or non-existent legal and regulatory frameworks, and less resilient democratic institutions. This report contributes to balancing the global coverage by focusing on cases and examples from the Global South. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have added to the urgency of investigating PMT, as they amplify the capabilities of targeted messaging and intensify the risk of online disinformation though automated generation and manipulation of content." (Executive summary, page 5)
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"Charting the increase in the use of games for the dissemination of extremist propaganda, radicalization, recruitment, and mobilization, this book examines the 'gamification of extremism.' Editors Linda Schlegel and Rachel Kowert bring together a range of insights from world-leading experts in the f
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ield to provide the first comprehensive overview of gaming and extremism. The potential nexus between gaming and extremism has become a key area of concern for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to prevent and counter radicalization and this book explores key trends and debates, future directions, and potential prevention efforts. This includes the exploration of how games and game adjacent spaces, such as Discord, Twitch, Steam, and DLive, are being leveraged by extremists for the purposes of radicalization, recruitment, and mobilization. Additionally, the book presents the latest counter-terrorism techniques and promising preventing / countering violent extremism (P/CVE) measures currently being utilized in the gaming sphere and explores the ongoing challenges, controversies, and current gaps in knowledge in the field. This text will be of interest to students and scholars of gaming and gaming culture, as well as an essential resource for practitioners working in prevention and counter-extremism, professionals working at gaming-related tech companies, and policymakers". (Publisher description)
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"Desde una aproximación ética, reconocidos profesionales con amplia experiencia en los medios y en organismos, como la Oficina Española de Cambio Climático o la Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, profesores doctores de catorce universidades, entre ellos una decena de investigadores del Observator
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io de la Comunicación del Cambio Climático y el director del Centro Knight de Periodismo Ambiental de la Michigan State University, abordan los asuntos propios de la especialidad aportando reflexión y claves para comunicar sobre medio ambiente y cambio climático de la mejor manera posible." (Tapa posterior)
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"Digital Journalism: Perspectives from South Asia is a descriptive, exploratory book on digital journalism practices and policies followed in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. It brings in-depth perspectives on content, communication, and community between communication theory and the
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digital news ecosystem rooted in a South Asia. What makes this book interesting to read is the integration of forms with manifestations on ground intersecting identities and ideologies. The book thoroughly investigates changes in the regulatory framework, regulations, policies, and code of conduct. Various chapters in the book pursue significant and exciting topics on the changing spaces of news production and consumption, the inter relationship between old and new media, everyday digital news usage and engagement, social media for news, revenue models for digital journalism among others. The highlight of this book is engaging debates on digital journalism practices modeled around mobile journalism, immersive storytelling, gamification, in the context of local and hyper local communities in South Asia. Since Digital Journalism draws extensively from algorithms, matrices and analytics, this book has exclusive chapters on data journalism, data visualization and big data." (Publisher description)
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"Soziale Medien haben die Verbreitung von Antisemitismus revolutioniert. Algorithmisch verstärkt verbreitet sich Antisemitismus auf den Plattformen in Sekundenschnelle, kostenlos und global. Die daraus resultierende Gefahr für Jüdinnen*Juden ist eine große gesellschaftliche Herausforderung. Das
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Buch gibt Einblicke in Fallstudien auf verschiedenen Plattformen und zeigt, wie soziale Medien durch die Verbreitung antisemitischer Inhalte von politischem Akteur*innen instrumentalisiert werden. Es werden innovative Methoden und Tools (CrowdTangle oder Voyant Tools) und neue Konzepte (Social Media Literacy, tertiärer Antisemitismus, antisemitische Eskalation) vorgestellt und Strategien, um Antisemitismus auf den Plattformen zu bekämpfen, kritisch evaluiert. Dieses Buch bietet eine umfassende Einführung für alle, die sich mit der Problematik Antisemitismus in den sozialen Medien auseinandersetzen wollen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"This paper examines the counter-violent extremism and anti-terrorism measures in Australia, China, France, the United Kingdom and the United States by investigating how governments leveraged internet intermediaries as their surrogate censors. Particular attention is paid to how political rhetoric l
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ed to legislation passed or proposed in each of the countries studied, and their respective restrictive measures are compared against the recommendations specified by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression. A typology for international comparison is proposed, which provides further insights into a country’s policy focus." (Abstract)
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"Disinformation is spread in every part of the world. In this comparative report, we analyse similarities and differences based on a 6-part international research series commissioned and supported by the Upgrade Democracy team between 2023-2024 under the theme “strengthening democracy, countering
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disinformation.” We compare the varying information ecosystems; the perpetrators of disinformation and the topics they exploit; protagonists in dealing with disinformation; and the role of state institutions and technological developments in this field. Our analysis shows, among other things, the ambivalent role of governments, which in some regions support the resilience of information ecosystems and in others disseminate disinformation themselves. We also refer to the influence of artificial intelligence on elections, the role of zero-rating and a growing business model for disinformation campaigns. Against this backdrop, we emphasise the importance of a strong civil society and robust regulation of digital platforms that strengthens transparency, openness, and inclusion." (Publisher description)
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"As can be gleaned from this report, anti-disinformation initiatives are diverse and creative, but whether they’re for prevention, monitoring and identification, or contextualization and correction, the current initiatives can be scaled up and new ones added. Firstly, the initiatives have still to
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reach a large segment of Philippine society, especially those living far from the capital, as well as certain sectors like senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and offline communities that depend greatly on others for information, including word of mouth. Secondly, another area that could be enhanced is research, which still takes long gestation periods when the need for findings and recommendations is immediate. Where possible, studies need to be fast-tracked. Instead of waiting for an event to end, e.g., elections, academic researchers should collaborate with anti-disinformation initiatives from the get-go. Institutions and individuals fighting against disinformation should also be encouraged to produce rigorous research, as well as provide deep dives or snapshots of disinformation landscape as it evolves. Furthermore, although AI tools have been employed by fact-checking initiatives such as Tsek.ph and FactsFirstPH, the study also shows that there is room for development in employing AI Journalism in the fight against disinformation. The ThaiDI Machine is the only purely AI tool on the list and is still in the development stage." (Conclusion)
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"This text is divided into four chapters. The first chapter describes the characteristics of online public debate in Colombia. It also presents the historical context and details the circumstances in which risky content for democracy and human rights content is published and disseminated in the coun
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try; this usually happens in public discussions associated with the armed conflict, in debates related to current situations that involve discriminated and vulnerable communities, and —mainly— during electoral periods in which smear campaigns against the media and journalists occur and disinformation strategies to manipulate voters develop. The second chapter presents a normative review that clarifies concepts addressed throughout the text and elaborates on international standards on the subject. The third chapter contains the body of the legal framework that describes the current regulations in Colombia to address content that potentially poses risks for democracy and human rights and presents the alternatives for dealing with such content. The fourth chapter analyzes the extent to which this framework is in line with international standards and reflects on the effectiveness of the legal tools to tackle the problem of hate speech and disinformation. In parallel with the development of the conflict and cycles of political violence, Colombian civil society has been striving for decades to advance in peacebuilding. As part of these efforts, it is essential to understand how to promote a broad and robust conversation in digital environments that guarantees diversity of opinions and protects the right of citizens to receive truthful and unbiased information." (Page 5)
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"Les objectifs du projet cadrent bien avec un certain nombre de politiques ou stratégies comme décrit dans le présent rapport. A titre d’exemple, on citer la politique nationale de lutte contre le terrorisme et l’extrémisme violent dans son Pilier 1, ainsi que la stratégie nationale de la r
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éconciliation et la cohésion sociale dans son axe 2. En termes d’efficacité, on peut noter un niveau de réalisation des activités et résultats globalement très satisfaisant. Cependant, le dépassement des cibles pour la plupart des activités et indicateurs montrent que le contexte du Pays a conduit le projet à une certaine prudence dans sa planification. Ce qui soulève également la question d’efficience du projet (même si ce critère n’a pas été abordé dans la présente évaluation), notamment en ce qui concerne l’utilisation optimale des ressources (humaines, matérielles et financières) qui pourraient être mieux planifiées pour d’autres activités afin d’obtenir des effets sur une échelle plus large. Le projet a réussi également à mobiliser les acteurs autour de la lutte contre la désinformation, en mettant l’accent sur l’implication des femmes et des jeunes. En matière de collaboration, le projet a renforcé les capacités des acteurs (ambassadeurs de paix, professionnels des médias) afin de mener des activités ensemble pour la prévention et la lutte contre la désinformation et les discours de haine. Les interventions du projet ont également impulsé un changement progressif des attitudes et des perceptions des populations et des acteurs traitant ou consommant l’information. Cela se manifeste par l’adoption d’attitudes positives face aux fausses informations et aux rumeurs, par des membres des communautés. Bien que des mécanismes soient en place pour maintenir ces acquis, à travers des comités de suivi/veille créés dans plusieurs localités, il conviendrait de renforcer ces mécanismes pour la durabilité des acquis par l’appui à l’élaboration des plans de désengagement permettant une meilleure responsabilisation des acteurs locaux." (Conclusions, page 53)
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"This guide does not require prior knowledge or experience in behavioral science. It will be relevant for you if you are an actor in a humanitarian setting look to: 1. Design a Theory of Change for a program aiming to change people’s beliefs or behaviors: This guide can be used by several actors.
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For instance, program managers seeking to increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations by countering scientifically incorrect information can rely on the insights provided here. Or it can also be used by a humanitarian who is developing a Theory of Change for promoting preventive health behaviors. This guide offers practical entry points to take into account when identifying what factors will influence how your information might develop the impact you are hoping to have and ultimately achieve the change you are pursuing. 2. Design communication strategies or information campaigns: This guide can be used by anyone who is grappling with the question of how to make an information campaign more effective by outlining concrete steps that new or existing communication interventions can take to effectively change people’s perceptions, beliefs and behaviors, within humanitarian settings. 3. Think about how to contextualize behavioral insights to design better information campaigns: It is necessary to ask afresh in each situation how exactly context influences the behavioral insights that determine uptake or dismissal of information. This guide provides a checklist for how to contextualize behavioral insights to specific social, political and cultural situations of humanitarian settings. In program design phase, where feedback is gathered from communities for co-created solutions, this checklist can help with deeper and behaviorallyinformed contextualisation." (How to use this guide)
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"Online and platform content that may cause harm through the breach of human rights is sufficiently widespread to have raised concerns about the potentially severe implications for the future of trust, safety, democracy and sustainable development. A certain amount of this content is curbed by the d
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ominant commercial platforms’ content moderation mechanisms. Much still escapes their nets and in worst cases is algorithmically amplified and even supported by advertising. Some smaller platforms expressly allow hatred and conspiracy theories, even facilitating the organisation of offline attacks on democracy. The roots of the problems lie in : ‘attention economics’, automated advertising systems, external manipulators, company spending priorities and stakeholder knowledge deficits. Of value in addressing these problems will be the development of guidelines for regulating platforms, centred on safeguarding human rights, promoting transparency and limiting the business processes and technical mechanisms that underpin potentially harmful content online." (Key trends uncovered, page 2)
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"Platform problems are linked to the fact that they are not self-governing according to agreed industry standards but mainly ‘solo-governing’ when it comes to content curation and moderation. Reaction to the failure of current platform efforts to regulate content includes the danger of over-regu
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lation by state entities, which carries real risks to freedom of expression. The purview of what may need to be part of new regulatory arrangements includes the interplay between policy, practice, business models and technology. There is a pluralism of platforms and other actors in the “tech stack”, who have different roles in the online content landscape, with concomitant implications for regulatory arrangements. Independent media, whistle-blowers and civil society organisations are significant factors in pushing platform accountability but mechanisms of transparency should be considered for regulatory protections and support. New technology is raising new challenges for platforms’ content moderation. Platform policy and practice is especially significant for elections." (Key trends uncovered, page 2)
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