- Apr 2023
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East Europe governments urge tech firms to fight disinformation
TITLE: Central and East European governments urge tech firms to fight disinformation
CONTENT: Prime ministers of Central and East European countries have signed an open letter urging tech companies to take concrete steps to promote accuracy over engagement on their platforms. The letter is a call to action against foreign information manipulation and interference, given that social media have been used as platforms to spread disinformation campaigns in these countries. The letter was signed by the prime ministers of Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and released by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala's office.
EXCERPT: Prime ministers of Central and East European countries have signed an open letter urging tech companies to take concrete steps to promote accuracy over engagement on their platforms.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 03/04/2023
COUNTRY: TITLE: (for updates, add a title of your own, different from the original)
CONTENT: Content of your update/resource/event
EXCERPT: Excerpt (a brief, tweet-like summary of your update); excerpts should be no longer than 300 characters
LINK: Link to the original article
TOPIC: Related topic(s)
TREND: Related trend(s)
PROCESS: Related process(es)
DATE:
COUNTRY:
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- Mar 2023
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www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
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After deepfakes go viral, AI image generator Midjourney stops free trials citing ‘abuse’
TITLE: (for updates, add a title of your own, different from the original)
CONTENT: AI image generator Midjourney has interrupted free trials of its service after some of its generations went viral online, misleading people to mistake AI generated images for real photographs. The problem was that many of those images generated using Midjourney were politically sensitive, including fabricated pictures of Trump being arrested or the pope wearing a designer jacket.
EXCERPT: AI image generator Midjourney has interrupted free trials of its service after some of its generations went viral online, misleading people to mistake AI generated images for real photographs.
TOPIC: Fake News
DATE: 30/03/2023
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techcrunch.com techcrunch.com
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Google Search is adding new ‘Perspectives’ and ‘About this author’ features to help users verify info
TITLE: Google Search is adding new features to help users verify information
CONTENT: Google announced that they will introduce new features to help users verify information on their search engine. The new functionalities include a "Perspectives" button and "About this author" as well as expanding on the currently existing "About this result". The idea behind the "Perspectives" feature is to give users a variety of noteworthy voices on a news topic to broaden their understanding of the subject matter. The “About this author” feature, allows users to learn more about the authors behind the content they are reading.
EXCERPT: Google announced that they will introduce new features to help users verify information on their search engine
TOPIC: Content Policy
DATE: 30/03/2023
COUNTRY: United States
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europeanparliament.webex.com europeanparliament.webex.com
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Tackling online misogyny against politically active women
TITLE: European Parliament event: Tackling online misogyny against politically active women
CONTENT: Upcoming event in the European Parliament on technology-facilitated violence against female politicians. It will be live-streamed and is open to the public with previous registration.
EXCERPT: Upcoming event in the European Parliament on technology-facilitated violence against female politicians
TOPIC: Content Policy
DATE: 15/03/2023
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www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
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Russian court fines Wikipedia over military 'misinformation'
TITLE: Russian court fines Wikipedia over spreading misinformation
CONTENT: After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, they introduced new laws restricting what people can report about the conflict. Since then, they have fined or blocked websites that publish information conflicting with the Kremlin's official narrative. The Wikimedia Foundation was fined 2 million roubles ($27,000) by a Russian court after the authorities accused it of failing to delete alleged misinformation about the Russian military from Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation was already fined on the same grounds, after it failed to delete two articles related to the war. The organisation may appeal the ruling.
EXCERPT: The Wikimedia Foundation was fined 2 million roubles ($27,000) by a Russian court after the authorities accused it of failing to delete alleged misinformation about the Russian military from Wikipedia.
TOPIC: Fake news
DATE: 14/03/2023
COUNTRY:Russia
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newsroom.tiktok.com newsroom.tiktok.com
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An update on our work to tackle human exploitation
TITLE: TikTok announced a policy update to tackle community safety.
CONTENT: TikTok announced an update on how they will tackle community safety. Leading social media companies have been accused of enabling criminal networks to misuse online platforms to promote human smuggling or trafficking, and to take advantage of vulnerable people trying to escape conflict and poverty. In this context, Tiktok has put forward proactive steps intended to improve community safety. This means they will adopt a zero-tolerance policy with content that violates human rights. The company said they are working closely with law enforcement agencies to overcome the difficulties that may arise when it comes to putting this policy in practice.
EXCERPT: Tiktok has put forward proactive steps intended to improve community safety. This means they will adopt a zero-tolerance policy with content that violates human rights.
LINK: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/an-update-on-our-work-to-tackle-human-exploitation
TOPIC: Content policy
DATE: 10/03/2023
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digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu
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Code of Practice on Disinformation: New Transparency Centre provides insights and data on online disinformation for the first time
TITLE: Signatories of the 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation launch Transparency Centre.
CONTENT: The signatories of the 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation have launched the new Transparency Centre. This novel Centre aims at ensuring accountability of signatories' efforts to fight disinformation and the implementation of commitments taken under the Code. With the launch the Transparency published for the first time the baseline reports on how the signatories are turning the commitments from the Code into practice. All signatories have submitted their reports on time, using an agreed harmonised reporting template aiming to address all commitments and measures they signed onto. This is however not fully the case for Twitter, whose report is short of data, with no information on commitments to empower the fact-checking community. The next set of reports is due in July, providing further insight on the Code's implementation and more stable data covering 6 months.
EXCERPT: Excerpt (a brief, tweet-like summary of your update); excerpts should be no longer than 300 characters
TOPIC: Fake news
DATE: 02/03/2023
COUNTRY: European Union
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OpenAI Used Kenyan Workers on Less Than $2 Per Hour to Make ChatGPT Less Toxic
TITLE: OpenAi raised controversies for outsourcing data labelling to underpaid Kenyan labourers.
CONTENT: Last December, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that can generate text on almost any topic. The new AI received praise all over the world. However, several institutions and scholars also raised concerns about the widespread use of the AI chatbot disrupting academia and an investigation by TIME revealed that in order to make ChatGPT less toxic, OpenAI used outsourced Kenyan labourers earning less than $2 per hour, through a company called Sama. Outsourced Kenyan workers were also subject to graphic sexual content to clean the platform of violence and hate speech. The labourers were sent snippets of text for labelling content depicting graphic content like murder, suicide, torture, and other toxic content that left employees mentally scarred by the work. An OpenAi spokesperson said in a statement that the company did not issue any productivity targets. A Sama spokesperson stated that they were responsible for managing the payment and mental health provisions for employees, explaining that workers were entitled to attend sessions with “wellness” counselors.
EXCERPT: Last December, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that can generate text on almost any topic. An investigation by TIME revealed that in order to make ChatGPT less toxic, OpenAI used outsourced Kenyan labourers earning less than $2 per hour.
LINK: https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/
TOPIC: Content policy
DATE: 03/03/2023
COUNTRY: Kenya
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- Feb 2023
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www.scientificamerican.com www.scientificamerican.com
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On Tuesday the Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a case called Gonzalez v. Google, which questions whether tech giants can be held legally responsible for content promoted by their algorithms.
TITLE: US Supreme Court ruling could make social media platforms liable for online content
CONTENT: On Tuesday the US Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a case called Gonzalez v. Google. This case could have global implications, since it questions whether tech companies can be held legally responsible for content promoted by their algorithms. If the Supreme Court weakens the law that protects companies from liability for content produced by others, platforms may need to revise or eliminate the recommendation algorithms that govern their feeds. And if the Court scraps the law entirely, tech companies could face lawsuits based on user content.
EXCERPT: On Tuesday the US Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a case that questions whether tech companies can be held legally responsible for content promoted by their algorithms.
LINK: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-googles-supreme-court-case-could-rattle-the-internet/
TOPIC: Content policy
DATE: 23/02/2023
COUNTRY: United States
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www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
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RT videos still spreading Ukraine disinformation on YouTube, report finds
TITLE: Report finds RT videos are still spreading Ukraine disinformation on YouTube
CONTENT: A report published on Wednesday by a US-based disinformation watchdog called Newsguard found 250 uploads of 50 RT-created videos about the war in Ukraine across more than 100 YouTube channels. This issue is problematic because YouTube had banned all Russian state-funded media from its platform globally in March 2022. However, despite the ban, Russia-controlled publications have found their way on to YouTube. Researchers expressed their concern regarding the scale of disinformation being produced by RT despite global efforts to combat its spread.
EXCERPT: Report finds RT videos are still spreading Ukraine disinformation on YouTube. The study found 250 uploads of 50 RT-created videos about the war in Ukraine across more than 100 YouTube channels.
LINK: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/feb/22/rt-ban-youtube-videos-google-disinformation
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 22/02/2023
COUNTRY: Russia
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www.gov.ie www.gov.ie
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TITLE: Ireland establishes working group to combat disinformation
CONTENT: The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in Ireland, Catherine Martin TD, announced the establishment of a working group to develop a National Counter Disinformation Strategy. The creation of this multi-stakeholder working group was among the recommendations in The Future of Media Commission report. Ms. Martina Chapman, National Coordinator of Media Literacy Ireland and an independent media literacy consultant, has been nominated to independently chair the Group
EXCERPT: Ireland announced the establishment of a working group to develop a National Counter Disinformation Strategy.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 21/02/2023
COUNTRY: Ireland
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www.politico.eu www.politico.eu
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TITLE: Twitter fails to comply with EU regulations to combat disinformation.
CONTENT: Twitter failed to complete its first European Union report on how it deals with disinformation. Tech companies were asked to hand in a report this month on how they implemented the EU's Code of Practice on Disinformation, agreed in June 2022. Social media platforms were asked to provide detailed data on how they tackle falsehoods and foreign interference on their platforms. Twitter was the only company that provided an incomplete report, with no information on what its plan to cooperate with fact-checkers is, according to the European Commission. Platforms with more than 45 million users in the EU will start facing investigations as soon as September 2023, and Twitter is expected to fall under this category. Companies that fail to comply with their obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA) might face fines of up to 6 percent of their global revenues.
EXCERPT: Twitter failed to complete its first European Union report on how it deals with disinformation. It was the only tech company that provided an incomplete report.
TOPIC: Content policy
TREND: Fake news
PROCESS: Related process(es)
DATE:
COUNTRY:
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- Jan 2023
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www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
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Brazil Justice Moraes fines Telegram for not complying with court order
TITLE: Brazil Justice Moraes fines Telegram for not complying with court order.
CONTENT: Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes fined messaging app Telegram for failing to comply with a court order that instructed the suspension of accounts of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro who were spreading disinformation and hate speech. Telegram will be fined 1.2 million reais ($236,527). Telegram did not immediately respond to Reuters on their request to comment.
EXCERPT: Brazil's Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes fined messaging app Telegram for failing to comply with a court order that instructed the suspension of accounts spreading disinformation and hate speech.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 31/01/2023
COUNTRY: Brazil
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False outrage
TITLE: Pro-Kremlin media spreads false claims about President Putin's international support.
CONTENT: Pro-Kremlin comments have been frequently appearing on articles in leading European media. According to permeate public discourse, according to the Security, Crime and Intelligence Innovation Institute at Cardiff University in Wales, these comments are intended to permeate public discourse in Western media. A 2021 study by the institute analysed comments on 32 European media outlets, such as Die Welt and Der Spiegel in Germany. The study concluded accounts are using the space on reader comments in Russia-related news articles to post provocative pro-Russian/anti-Western statements. Comments often They often contradict what the public opinion on a given country really think about Russia, Ukraine, and sanctions against Moscow.
EXCERPT: Pro-Kremlin comments have been frequently appearing on articles in leading European media in order to permeate public discourse in Western media.
LINK: https://www.dw.com/en/how-russian-fake-news-paints-the-germans/a-64394917
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 24/01/2023
COUNTRY: Germany
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www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
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Climate change denial is making a ‘stark comeback’ on social media, study finds
TITLE: Report finds Big Tech companies recommend climate change denial content
CONTENT: A new report from the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition revealed that fossil fuel sector-linked entities spent approximately 4 million USD on Meta for paid advertisements to spread false and misleading claims on climate crisis, net-zero targets and necessity of fossil fuels prior to and during COP27. This would imply that not only are social media platforms not managing to crack down on content that rejects widely accepted science risks, but they are even making it worse by promoting climate change denialism. Some of these Big Tech companies were requested to comment, but journalists reporting on the topic have not received an answer yet.
EXCERPT: A new report from the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition revealed that Big Tech companies are promoting climate change denialism on their platforms.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 20/01/2023
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newslit.org newslit.org
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The Fourth Annual National News Literacy Week
TITLE: Next week is the Fourth Annual National News Literacy Week
CONTENT: The National News Literacy Week will take place between January 23rd and 27th this year and will offer a variety of ways for educators, students and the public to get involved. This annual event highlights the role of news literacy in a democracy and provides audiences with the knowledge, tools and abilities to become more news-literate. The week is presented by the News Literacy Project and The E.W. Scripps Company.
EXCERPT: The National News Literacy Week will take place between January 23rd and 27th this year and will offer a variety of ways for educators, students and the public to get involved.
LINK: https://newslit.org/news-literacy-week/
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 20/01/2023
COUNTRY: online
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www.helsinkitimes.fi www.helsinkitimes.fi
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Finland’s THL leaves Twitter, citing volume of disinformation
TITLE: Finish Institute for Health and Welfare withdraws from Twitter due to disinformation.
CONTENT: The Finish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) announced that they have withdrawn from Twitter due to the high amount of disinformation and inappropriate remarks contained in replies to their posts. Marjo Loisa, the director of communications at THL, explained that although the platform has always been prone to spreading disinformation, the situation worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. Especially given that the THL tweeted about the virus and vaccines. Consequently, the institute took the decision of leaving Twitter because they consider it presently offers little benefits as a channel of official information.
EXCERPT: The Finish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) announced that they have withdrawn from Twitter due to the high amount of disinformation and inappropriate remarks contained in replies to their posts.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 17/01/2023
COUNTRY: Finland
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www.icfj.org www.icfj.org
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As a way to inspire media organizations and independent journalists, we will have a webinar before applications open, with with Sérgio Spagnoulo and Natália Leal, moderated by Cristina Tardáguila, about innovative ways to combat disinformation in Brazil.
TITLE: Jogo Limpo 2.0, a Program to Combat Disinformation in Brazil in 2023
CONTENT: In 2023, continuing the partnership with YouTube Brazil, ICFJ is launching the second edition of the program: Jogo Limpo 2.0. Through this initiative, ICFJ seeks to support methods and models to promote factual content that resists the dissemination and the impact of fake news. This is in addition to supporting and empowering journalists, fact-checkers and the entire Brazilian media ecosystem. "Jogo Limpo 2.0" is a program fully funded by YouTube Brazil. As a way to inspire media organizations and independent journalists, ICFJ will have a webinar before applications open, with with Sérgio Spagnoulo and Natália Leal, moderated by Cristina Tardáguila, about innovative ways to combat disinformation in Brazil. The webinar will be held in Portuguese on Tuesday, January 24 at 2:00pm Brazil time.
EXCERPT:In 2023, continuing the partnership with YouTube Brazil, ICFJ is launching the second edition of the program: Jogo Limpo 2.0. ICFJ organizes a webinar before applications open.
LINK: https://www.icfj.org/our-work/jogo-limpo-20-program-combat-disinformation-brazil-2023
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 15/01/2023
COUNTRY: Brazil
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www.antena3.com www.antena3.com
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Crean un juego de aventuras para enseñar a detectar y combatir los bulos
TITLE: Researchers launch first video game to teach fake news detection
CONTENT: Researchers from the University of Extremadura in Spain have developed and launched a video game aimed at teaching how to detect fake news and combat online disinformation. The game is called "Forge of Destiny (FoD)” and it is the first multi platform initiative designed for this ends. The game is already available online for free use.
EXCERPT: Researchers from the University of Extremadura in Spain have developed and launched a video game aimed at teaching how to detect fake news and combat online disinformation.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 11/01/2023
COUNTRY: Spain
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polisci.berkeley.edu polisci.berkeley.edu
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2023 Citrin Center Conference: Misinformation and Its Consequences for American Democracy
TITLE: 2023 Citrin Center Conference: Misinformation and Its Consequences for American Democracy
CONTENT: This one-day conference at Berkeley brings together prominent political researchers and practitioners to discuss the origins and consequences of misinformation, as well as strategies to reduce its prevalence and pernicious effects.
EXCERPT: A one-day conference at Berkeley where political researchers and practitioners will discuss the origins and consequences of misinformation and strategies to reduce its prevalence.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 20/07/2023
COUNTRY: United States
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www.washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com
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Covid misinformation spikes in wake of Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse
TITLE: Covid misinformation spikes on Twitter after NFL player's on-field collapse
CONTENT: NFL player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest during a game on Monday night. After the incident, anti-vaxxers tweets sought to link the Hamlin's condition and the coronavirus vaccine, without any evidence. These claims were posted by many relevant influencers on the platform and getting as much as 10 million views per tweet, like in the case of a tweet by Charlie Kirk. The massive spread of these claims was also explained by changes in the direction of the Twitter’s policy against covid misinformation in November when new owner Elon Musk took charge. The company has also restored the accounts of many previously suspended individuals, including multiple high-profile anti-vaxxers.
EXCERPT: Excerpt (a brief, tweet-like summary of your update); excerpts should be no longer than 300 characters
LINK: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/01/03/covid-misinfo-damar-hamlin-collapse/
TOPIC: freedom of speech
TREND: fake news
DATE: 04/01/2023
COUNTRY: United States
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- Dec 2022
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www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
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TITLE: Turkish court releases first journalist jailed under new 'disinformation' law
CONTENT: A Turkish court ordered the release of a journalist that was detained under the country's new disinformation law. Sinan Aygul became the first journalist to be jailed pending trial under the new law, approved by the Turkish parliament two months ago. Aygul, a journalist in the Kurdish-majority Bitlis province, had written on Twitter last week that a 14-year-old girl had allegedly been sexually abused by the police and soldiers but then apologised because the story was not confirmed with the authorities. Nevertheless, he was prosecuted and put under arrest. The government expressed ghat the disinformation law is aimed at protecting the public, but critics say it can be abused to stifle dissent.
EXCERPT: A Turkish court ordered the release of a journalist that was detained under the country's new disinformation law.
TOPIC: Freedom of the press
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 29/12/2022
COUNTRY: Turkey
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www.cnbc.com www.cnbc.com
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TechChina is about to get tougher on deepfakes in an unprecedented way.
TITLE: China to introduce pioneering regulation on “deepfakes”
CONTENT: In January, China will introduce pioneering regulation on “deepfakes”, reinforcing their policies of control over internet content. Deepfakes are synthetically generated or altered images or videos built using artificial intelligence. This technology can be used to alter an existing video, for example, by creating realistic fake speech. China announced its new rules for governing “deep synthesis technologies” earlier this year, and finalized them in December. These new legislation will come into effect on Jan. 10.
EXCERPT: In January, China will introduce pioneering regulation on “deepfakes”, reinforcing their policies of control over internet content.
LINK: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/23/china-is-bringing-in-first-of-its-kind-regulation-on-deepfakes.html
TOPIC: Freedom of expression
TREND: Fake News
DATE: 23/12/2022
COUNTRY: China
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www.icahdq.org www.icahdq.org
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73rd Annual ICA Conference Theme Call for Papers
ITLE: 73rd Annual ICA Conference Theme Call for Papers: Reclaiming Authenticity in Communication
CONTENT: The ICA 2023 conference theme of Reclaiming Authenticity in Communication invites communication scholars to examine how authenticity has become a variable, rather than a constant, in public discourses and popular culture across the globe, and with what relational, social, political, and cultural implications.
EXCERPT: The ICA 2023 conference theme of Reclaiming Authenticity in Communication invites communication scholars to examine how authenticity has become a variable in communication.
LINK: https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/ICA23-CFP
TOPIC: Freedom of the press
TREND: Fake News
DATE: 14/12/2022
COUNTRY:
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www.washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com
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Twitter dissolves Trust and Safety Council
TITLE: Twitter abruptly dissolves its Trust and Safety Council.
CONTENT: Twitter abruptly dissolved its Trust and Safety Council on Monday night. This happened just moments before a scheduled meeting with company representatives. The Trust and Safety Council was created to make the platform safer and more civil, after years of work towards that goal. Members of Twitter’s Trust and Safety Council received an email informing them the council was no longer “the best structure” to bring “external insights into our product and policy development work.”
EXCERPT: Twitter abruptly dissolved its Trust and Safety Council on Monday night.
LINK: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/12/musk-twitter-harass-yoel-roth/
TREND: Fake News
PROCESS: Freedom of expression
DATE: 12/12/2022
COUNTRY: United States
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www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
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Concern as US media hit with wave of layoffs amid rise of disinformation
TITLE: Wave of layoffs in US media raises concerns about the spread of disinformation
CONTENT: A wave of layoffs in US media raises concerns about the spread of disinformation. Several major companies, including CNN, BuzzFeed and Gannett, have laid off hundreds of workers in recent weeks citing economic volatility and uncertainty. The recent staff cuts have triggered new worries over the health of the US media at a time of democratic crisis.
EXCERPT: A wave of layoffs in US media raises concerns about the spread of disinformation.
LINK: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/dec/10/media-layoffs-cnn-buzzfeed-gannett-recount-protocol
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 12/12/2022
COUNTRY: United States
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Meta, the parent company of Facebook today said that it is partnering with the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC), civil society groups and local radio stations to stop spread of fake news and protect the integrity of the Nigerian 2023 general elections.
TITLE: Meta partners with Nigerian organisations to combat disinformation ahead of 2023 elections
CONTENT: Meta announced they will partner with the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC), civil society groups and local radio stations to combat the spread of disinformation and protect the integrity of the Nigerian 2023 general elections. The approach has also been informed by conversations with human rights groups, NGOs, local civil society organisations, regional experts and local election authorities and consists of a series of measures to promote good practices and make it easier for audiences to distinguish trusted content from dubious claims. For instance, the official Facebook page on the 2023 elections on its platform will have a blue tick which confirms the authentic of the results posted on the INEC official website. Additionally, Meta has quadrupled the size of its global teams working on safety and security to about 40,000 people, including over 15,000 content reviewers in every major timezone. Collectively, these reviewers are able to review content in more than 70 languages- including Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa.
EXCERPT: Meta announced they will partner with the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC), civil society groups and local radio stations to combat the spread of disinformation and protect the integrity of the Nigerian 2023 general elections.
LINK: https://leadership.ng/meta-partners-inec-ngos-to-combat-2023-elections-fake-news/
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 08/12/2022
COUNTRY: Nigeria
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- Nov 2022
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Taiwan says it sees less Chinese interference ahead of elections
TITLE: Taiwanese Foreign Minister attests decreased Chinese interference in upcoming elections
CONTENT: Taiwan has repeatedly accused China of attempts to meddle in their elections with online disinformation campaigns. China, which claims the democratically governed island as its own territory, has always played a role in Taiwanese politics. However, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said to the press ahead of the elections that this time around it seemed like there has been less interference from the Chinese government. Still, more recent news reports do find evidence of Chinese disinformation operations in Taiwan. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to requests for comment by Reuters.
EXCERPT: Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said to the press ahead of the elections that this time around it seemed like there has been less interference from the Chinese government.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 27/11/2022
COUNTRY: Taiwan
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www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
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Emmanuel Macron has accused Russia of feeding disinformation to further its “predatory project” in Africa, where France has had military setbacks.
TITLE: Macron accuses Russia of financing disinformation projects in Africa
CONTENT: In an interview with TV5 Monde, Emmanuel Macron has accused Russia of spreading disinformation to further its “predatory project” in Africa. He explained that there are several different actors with the intention to spread disinformation in the continent in order to hurt France after its military setback in the Region. In particular, there is concern regarding the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group that built connections with Mali’s military after France pulled its troops out of the country. Russia has rejected the accusations and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the businessman believed by the EU to be behind the Wagner Group called the reports “fakes, outright lies and … falsification”.
EXCERPT: In an interview with TV5 Monde, Emmanuel Macron has accused Russia of spreading disinformation to further its “predatory project” in Africa.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 21/11/2022
COUNTRY: Russia, France, Mali
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www.euronews.com www.euronews.com
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How climate disinformation is spreading after Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover
TITLE: Activists express concerns about climate disinformation on Twitter after Musk's takeover
CONTENT: Activists have been expressing their concerns about climate disinformation on Twitter after Musk's takeover. Although there has not been an explicit policy change in Twitter’s approach to tackling climate disinformation on the platform, Musk fired Twitter’s sustainability team within a wider cull of staff two days before the start of COP27. Jennie King, head of civic action and education at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) explained that Twitter was supposed to be the voice of COP27, according to a campaign planned in advance alongside climate advocates. However, she expressed that all the intermediaries on the company were laid off and since then there has been a spike in outright climate denial on the platform,
EXCERPT: Activists have been expressing their concerns about climate disinformation on Twitter after Musk's takeover. Although there has not been an explicit policy change in Twitter’s approach to tackling climate disinformation on the platform, Musk fired Twitter’s sustainability team within a wider cull of staff two days before the start of COP27.
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 18/11/2022
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www.reuters.com www.reuters.com
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was taken to hospital after arriving in Indonesia's Bali for the G20 summit, the Associated Press reported on Monday, a report that Moscow dismissed as "fake news".
TITLE: Moscow claims that reports of their hospitalised foreign minister at G20 are 'fake news'
CONTENT: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Bali to represent Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit. Lavrov was taken to the hospital shortly after arriving in Bali and the Associated Press reported on Monday that Lavrov was being treated for a heart condition, citing several sources. Nevertheless, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson claimed that the report was baseless and dismissed the situation by calling it "fake news".
EXCERPT: Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson claims that reports of their hospitalised foreign minister at G20 are 'fake news'
TREND: fake news
DATE: 14/11/2022
COUNTRY: Russia
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newsonair.withgoogle.com newsonair.withgoogle.com
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Fighting Misinformation Online
TITLE: Fighting Misinformation Online
CONTENT: Fighting Misinformation Online summit in Brussels and online. The event will be hosted by Annette Kroeber-Riel, (VP, Government Affairs & Public Policy, Europe at Google) alongside YouTube, the EUI and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation at De Warande, Brussels.
Speakers
Věra Jourová, Vice President for Values and Transparency, European Commission Jon Ronson, non-fiction author and documentary maker Krisztina Stump, Head of Unit, Media Convergence and Social Media, European Commission Alexander Stubb: former President of Finland and Director at the European University Institute Tali Sharot, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
EXCERPT: Fighting Misinformation Online summit in Brussels and online.
LINK: https://newsonair.withgoogle.com/events/fighting-misinformation-online
TREND: Fake news
DATE: 29/11/2022
COUNTRY: Belgium (and online)
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elpais.com elpais.com
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Primera condena en España por difundir ‘fake news’ sobre los menores migrantes
TITLE: Police Officer becomes first person in Spain with criminal conviction for spreading fake news
CONTENT: A Guardia Civil officer becomes the first person in Spain with a criminal conviction for spreading fake news on social media. He was convicted for publishing a video of a brutal aggression to a woman and assigning the blame to a gang of migrant children housed at a residence in Canet de Mar (Barcelona). The aggression had actually happened in China and had nothing to do with the migrant children he had falsely accused. The police officer accepted he had posted fake news driven by his animosity towards Moroccan immigrants and was given a 15-month prison sentence. However, he will be exempted from spending time in jail as long as he attends a reeducation course and does not commit any further xenophobic crimes. The court stated that posts like this are very harmful for democracy, as they increase prejudice towards vulnerable groups.
EXCERPT: A Guardia Civil officer becomes the first person in Spain with a criminal conviction for spreading fake news on social media. He was convicted for publishing a video of a brutal aggression to a woman and assigning the blame to a gang of migrant children housed at a residence near Barcelona.
TOPIC: Freedom of expression
TREND: Fake News
PROCESS: Related process(es)
DATE: 9/11/2022
COUNTRY: Spain
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www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
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But more than any single post, the danger of manipulated media lies in the way it risks further damaging the ability of many social media users to depend on concepts like truth and proof. The existence of deepfakes, which are usually created by grafting a digital face onto someone else’s body, is being used as an accusation and an excuse by those hoping to discredit reality and dodge accountability — a phenomenon known as the liar’s dividend
Title: Misinformation experts express concern about manipulated content on TikTok
Content: Experts who study misinformation are expressing concerns about manipulated video and photo content on TikTok. Manipulated media is a key feature on the platform and is mostly used as an entertainment or humorous resource. However, fake news stories and deepfake images of politicians are starting to become a pervasive reality on the popular video platform. These techniques are being applied to posts that sow political division, advance conspiracy theories and threaten the core tenets of democracy ahead of the midterm elections. Henry Ajder, an expert on manipulated and synthetic media stated: “When this volume of content can be created so quickly and at such scale, it completely changes the landscape.” Experts also said it is especially difficult to detect and moderate this kind of content on TikTok, where an estimated 1.6 billion active users put their own stamp on someone else’s content, and where objective facts, satire and outright deceit sometimes blend together in the fast-moving feed. Regardless of single posts, the largest concern is about how these apps where manipulated media is a feature blurs the users ability to tell the difference between truth and fake.
Excerpt: Experts who study misinformation are expressing concerns about manipulated video and photo content on TikTok. The largest concern is about how these apps where manipulated media is a key feature blurrs the users ability to tell the difference between truth and fake.
Link: (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/technology/tiktok-deepfakes-disinformation.html)
Trend: Fake news
Date: November 4th
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