"Platform policies lack clarity about the relationship between them, and also about how policies should be applied at global and local levels. How platforms understand and identify harms is insufficiently mapped to human rights standards, and there is a gap in how policy elements should deal with di
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fferent rights or with business models when there are tensions. Policies are not always transparent and do not provide sufficiently for risk assessment. Implementation and enforcement by platforms have serious shortfalls, while attempts to improve outcomes by automating moderation have their limits. Inequalities in policy and practice abound in relation to different categories of people, countries and languages. Of value in addressing these problems could be the development of guidance for the governance and regulation of frameworks that sets out suggested standards and parameters for platform policies and related operations." (Key trends uncovered, page 2)
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"The essays in this report deepen our understanding of the escalating and evolving threats posed by global authoritarianism. While responses to authoritarian information manipulation have been robust in many ways across Latin America, much more can be done to counter it and enhance the quality of in
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formation available to citizens, particularly around elections. Key lessons include: Authoritarians are increasingly collaborating to undermine democracy [...]; Democratic actors must cooperate to address the speed and scale of the challenge to democracy [...]; Strategic responses to authoritarian information operations are essential." (Pages 3-4)
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"The three countries [Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, and Kenya] provide evidence of online hate speech and disinformation affecting human rights offline. The evidence is not comprehensive yet clear enough to raise serious concerns. Online gender-based violence is also reported as critical in the
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three countries. In the three countries, national legislation to address harmful content shows some degree of inconsistency in comparison to international standards, notably in relation to the protection of freedom of expression. The reasons for such inconsistency vary among countries. The effective enforcement of legal frameworks is uneven in all three countries. Social and cultural inequalities are often reproduced in government or judicial decisions, and vagueness in legislation opens space for discretionary decisions. Platform companies have offices in Indonesia and Kenya, but not in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the three countries, there is a lack of transparency in how companies allocate the roles of moderation tasks, including the number of different language moderators and their trusted partners and sources. Companies do not process content moderation in some of the main local languages and community standards are not entirely or promptly available in local languages." (Executive summary)
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"This guide for policy-makers developed by the United Nations’ Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect (OSAPG) and UNESCO provides specific strategies and approaches to address hate speech within and through education. Countering harmful, discriminatory and violent narrativ
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es in the form of xenophobia, racism, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and other types of intolerance, whether online or offline, requires interventions at every level of education, in both formal and non-formal settings. This guide offers concrete recommendations, good practices and lessons learned on how to combat hate speech and provide safe and respectful learning environments, as well as the broader goal of fostering inclusive societies." (Back cover)
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"Social media influencers impact our collective societal mindset by shaping our thoughts and opinions or setting agendas. Past research on social influence must be unpacked to understand how social media influencers effectively create content using authenticity co mpared to celebrity. Establishing a
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sense of authenticity – consciously or unconsciously – enables them to come across as “being real.” This ability can be exploited and abused to amplify disinformation. The Digital Services Act’s approach to disinformation reflects the realization that platforms cannot adequately self-govern. Thus, it prescribes a structured role for civil society inclusion. For more oversight and accountability, EU member states will have to appoint Digital Services Coordinators who can be more effective if they work with platform councils made up of representatives from civil society, including influencer associations." (Page 1)
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"Ukraine has been building its capacity to use humour as a strategic communications tool since Russian first invasion in 2014. After Russia launched the full-scale war in February 2022, this often grassroots effort was multiplied by many new actors joining it. Foreign supporters of Ukraine stepped i
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n to expose lies of Russian officials in social media, resulting in a creation of NAFO movement. The use of humour by the Ukrainian government officials also pushed the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in digital diplomacy. Numerous jokes and memes have been created that will remain in the historical record of this war, such as the “Russian warship” meme, “sunflower seeds in a pocket”, “bavovna”( cotton), and others. However, humour should not overshadow the terrible reality of war Ukrainians have to face daily until this day. It should not distract attention from the need for Ukraine to win and Russia to be held accountable for its war crimes. Humour helped Ukrainians cope with the trauma of war and preserve mental health. For foreign audiences, especially in the West, it helped to introduce Ukraine as a country that is a part of the same cultural space, has similar values, and is worthy of support. Witty jokes and creative memes opened a window for many to discover Ukrainian history and culture. Satire helped to expose the absurdity of Russian imperialist ideology and propaganda narratives the Kremlin used to launch its invasion of Ukraine." (Conclusion)
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"This manual provides a quick overview of the steps required to develop an infodemic insights report that can be used during an emergency response or for routine health programming (where so-called low-level infodemics may be more common). The steps are: 1. Choose the question that infodemic managem
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ent insights could help to answer; 2. Identify and select the data sources and develop an analysis plan for each data source; 3. Conduct an integrated analysis across those data sources; 4. Develop strategies and recommendations; 5. Develop an infodemic insights report; 6. Disseminate the infodemic insights report and track the actions taken." (Manual objectives, page 2)
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"This study tested the effectiveness of fact-check format (regular vs.satirical) to refute different types of false information. Specifically, we conducted a pre-registered online survey experiment (N = 849) that compared the effects of regular fact-checkers and satirist refutations in response to m
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is- and disinformation about crime rates. The findings illustrated that both fact-checking formats – factual and satirical – were equally effective in lowering issue agreement and perceived credibility in response to false information. Instead of a backfire effect, moreover, the regular factcheck was particularly effective among people who agreed with the fact-check information; for satirical fact-checking, the effect was found across-the-board. Both formats were ineffective in decreasing affective polarization; it rather increased polarization under specific conditions (satire; agreeing with the fact-check)." (Abstract)
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"Ziel dieser Studie war die Untersuchung der (langfristigen) Wirkung von Desinformation auf Social Media auf die Meinungsbildung sowie deren Einflussfaktoren. Der Fokus lag auf der Rolle von wiederholtem Kontakt mit Desinformation, auf der intervenierenden Wirkung von Aufklärungstexten und Warnhinw
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eisen in Social Media/Messenger Newsfeeds sowie auf individuellen Online-Rechercheprozessen zur Überprüfung von Desinformationen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Although interventions that warn about the harms of misinformation may be effective in lowering the credibility of false information, they may also cause suspicion related to factually accurate information. To explore these contradictory outcomes of exposure to media literacy messages, we used an o
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nline survey experiment with a diverse sample of 1105 participants in the U.S. In this experiment, we randomly exposed people to traditional warning messages about the threats of misinformation or relativising warning messages that placed misinformation’s threat in the context of the abundance of honest information. We additionally varied the specificity of the warning message (i.e. topic specific versus generic). We did not find direct overall effects on truth discernment but observed conditional effects on decreasing beliefs in misinformation and negative spillover effects on the truth rating of accurate information. We conclude that the effectiveness of media literacy interventions is far from straightforward, and document how preexisting media trust plays a key role in the effects of such interventions. Based on our findings, we suggest that the effectiveness of specific and general media literacy messages may be contingent upon tailoring the message to levels of existing (dis)trust." (Abstract)
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"Zwischen dem 19.09.2022 und 18.09.2023 wurde das Projekt „Narrative über den Krieg Russlands gegen die Ukraine“ (NUK, im Folgenden NUK) vom Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD Germany) im Auftrag der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb umgesetzt. Ziel des Projekts war es, Desinformati
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on gegenüber ukrainischen Geflüchteten innerhalb russisch- und arabischsprachiger Communities in Deutschland mithilfe von vier online verbreiteten Erklärvideos zu beleuchten. Dieser Abschlussbericht stellt die zentralen Ergebnisse der Analysen zu Desinformationsnarrativen dar, skizziert den Entstehungsprozess sowie die Inhalte der Videos und führt eine Evaluation der Verbreitung der Videos durch." (Seite 3)
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"This report summarizes and groups the most common recommendations to address gendered disinformation and analyzes gaps between the evidence base and the recommendations made to date. This review is aimed toward those who seek to develop solutions to gendered disinformation in its different forms, a
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lthough stakeholders across sectors should consider how they can operationalize these recommendations. While reviewers found many actionable recommendations, they also noticed significant gaps and missed opportunities for impact and collaboration." (Executive summary, page 4)
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"This paper provides researchers and policymakers with an overview of which individual-level interventions are likely to influence the spread of, susceptibility to, or impact of misinformation. We review the evidence for the effectiveness of four categories of interventions: boosting (psychological
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inoculation, critical thinking, and media and information literacy); nudging (accuracy primes and social norms nudges); debunking (fact-checking); and automated content labeling. In each area, we assess the empirical evidence, key gaps in knowledge, and practical considerations. We conclude with a series of recommendations for policymakers and tech companies to ensure a comprehensive approach to tackling misinformation." (Abstract)
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"This Synthesis Report provides a formal systematic review of scientific literature on countermeasures for mitigating digital misinformation. 588 peer-reviewed global publications from many disciplines were the focus of this study in order to highlight the most effective countermeasures for mitigati
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ng potential effects of misinformation, disinformation, and a range of related phenomena. According to the report’s selected publications, the four most often endorsed countermeasures are corrective information materials, information and media literacy content, content moderation, and content labeling. More than 10% of the analyzed publications validated these countermeasures. Research reveals several patterns in the investigation of countermeasures for combating misinformation across disciplines. Social sciences emerge as a leading area of scholarship in exploring various strategies, with one exception: content moderation, which is more actively tested in publications from the physical sciences. Simultaneously, experiment-based methodologies highlight content labeling and content reporting as the most effective countermeasures. There is no substantial geographic variation in what researchers are finding. Five important limitations in current research were identified: 1. Few publications test specific countermeasures with real-world data; 2. Some of the solutions offered in the literature are too broad to be tested; 3. Methods that are more likely to bring critical perspectives, such as interviews, focus groups, and discourse analysis, are used less often than quantitative methods; 4. Some countermeasures are understudied in particular disciplines. For example, redirection, or information and media literacy are understudied in the health and physical sciences; 5. The literature in English that is analyzed pays insufficient attention to the problem beyond a few Western countries." (Synopsis)
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"This Synthesis Report examines the effectiveness of countermeasures against misinformation on social media platforms, focusing on the two most examined remedies: content labeling and corrective information interventions. A meta-analysis is a research process for synthesizing and aggregating the fin
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dings of many, independent studies, using statistical methods to calculate overall effects from multiple data sources. A meta-analysis of 43 studies from 18 peer-reviewed manuscripts was selected from a comprehensive database of 4,798 publications. First, there is an emerging scientific consensus that content labels and corrective information help people evaluate misinformation on social media platforms. Other mitigation strategies may be viable, but there is less consensus about their effectiveness. Second, understanding the global information environment requires more research: (i) from countries around the world, (ii) about user experiences in languages other than English, (iii) with genuine access to social media data from firms, (iv) that allows scientists to standardize measures and definitions for robustly reporting the results of independent research." (Synopsis)
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"This report highlights adaptations and innovations by Ukrainians in their struggle against Moscow’s disinformation machine. As part of the project, the International Forum on Democratic Studies conducted more than fifty expert interviews and hosted a series of convenings with experts from Ukraine
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and across Europe which inform the analysis. Companion essays—one from Ukraine, the other from Central Europe—provide more context and details on the ways in which locally based organizations are learning to meet the challenge. The research identified three advantages—deep preparation, open networks of cooperation, and active utilization of new technology—that have allowed civil society organizations and governments in Ukraine and Central and Eastern Europe to build trust and tell Ukraine’s story, unite Ukrainians and their allies, and ensure resilience in the face of authoritarian disinformation campaigns." (Executive summary, page 1)
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"The purpose of this report is to gain a better understanding of the pertinent dynamics and to bolster the design of programming to support the information ecosystem around elections. In aid of this, UNDP sought information through a number of channels, in a review of the relevant literature, a seri
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es of regional consultations, expert meetings and a survey [...] The various sources all conclude there remains no single panacea to the ills that information pollution brings upon elections. Rather, there is a variety of information pollution programming around elections, each with its own benefits and deficiencies. In order to support the design of a holistic information integrity strategy, this report suggests that programmes seek to address one or more of the following three concerns (1) prevention—to address the supply side of information pollution by preventing or deterring the creation of information pollution, (2) resilience—building public resilience to information pollution limiting the ability of users to be influenced or co-opted by information pollution and (3) countering—identifying and attempting to counter information pollution." (Summary, page 8-9)
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