Center for Democracy & Technology Report Launch: Seismic Shifts

Efforts to protect elections from disinformation stand at a crossroads: seismic political, technological, and economic shifts are challenging researchers and advocates. Tech sector downsizing has reduced resources devoted to online trust and safety, and the declining responsiveness of leading platforms has dampened partnerships between industry and civil society.

Generative AI and other new technologies are introducing unpredictable risks. And efforts to counter disinformation are increasingly embroiled in political controversy, straining relationships between government and civil society and leading to rhetorical, legal, and in extreme cases physical harassment of professionals in this field.

If current trends hold, the 2024 election in the U.S., as well as other key elections around the world, could occur in one of the most vulnerable environments for political disinformation that we have ever seen. Heated rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and unrestricted rumors could distort election outcomes or even culminate in election-related violence.

In the short term, immediate steps must be taken to protect counter-disinformation researchers as they carry out their work. In the longer term, these shifts necessitate new approaches to advocacy.

Join us at 1:00 p.m. ET on September 26 for the virtual launch of CDT’s new election report - Seismic Shifts: How Economic, Technological, and Political Trends are Challenging Independent Counter-Election-Disinformation Initiatives.

Two of the report’s authors, Dean Jackson and William Adler, will discuss what they’ve learned about the challenges facing election disinformation researchers and their recommendations for overcoming them. CDT Vice President for Policy Samir Jain will moderate the discussion, which will also feature comments from experts at the intersection of elections, technology, and research including Katie Harbath and Rebekah Tromble.

Login info will be sent to registered attendees in advance of the event.

Login info will be sent to registered attendees in advance of the event. You can also choose to watch the livestream of the event on CDT’s YouTube page.