Fake News, Online disinformation and democratic processes in Europe

Fake news, hate speech and (foreign?) disinformation operations are not forgotten, nor are the devastating effects of the Cambridge Analytica and other IT-supported targeting practices on elections or referenda. Against the backdrop of computational propaganda, digital voter manipulation and nefarious disinformation online, we might be worrying about upcoming elections and the future of democracy.

Some say that “this is our new normal”¹, others talk about a “war on fake news”. Can we accept, or what can be done about it? Are artificial intelligence and fact-checking decisive manoeuvres to contain online disinformation, or have politicians put too much trust in ‘Big Tech’ already?

With the European Parliamentary elections on the horizon, the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) and the Centre international de formation européenne are delighted to invite you to a public panel discussion with distinguished representatives of Facebook and Google talking with renowned representatives of civil society about:

Fake News, Online disinformation and democratic processes in Europe
Friday, 11 January 2019 | 6 pm (doors open 5.30 pm)
Alexander von Humboldt Institute of Internet and Society, Französische Straße 9, 10117 Berlin

Program

5.30 pm  Doors of HIIG open – refreshments

6.00 pm Welcome and introduction by Ingolf Pernice, Director at HIIG

6.15 pm  Panel discussion moderated by Dr. Julia Pohle Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB)

• Lutz Mache (Public Policy and Government Relations Senior Analyst Google)
• Semjon Rens (Public Policy Manager Facebook, Austria, Germany and Switzerland)
• Ann Cathrin Riedel (Chairwoman LOAD e.V. – Verein für liberale Netzpolitik, Berlin)
• Allegra Pochtler (Head of Business Developement TraceMap)

7.30 pm  Conclusions

Registration for this event is mandatory. Please send an email to: decide@hiig.de (PGP: 0x0BA57DE84BA3DBEF)

^{1. Katie Harbath, director of global politics and government outreach, Facebook}

Photo: Loozrboy CC-by-SA-2.0