Between manipulated images, fake accounts and fact checks - dealing with disinformation

We are delighted to invite you to the discussion „Between manipulated images, fake accounts and fact checks – Dealing with disinformation“ with Christiane Hoffmann. The event will take place on 21.05.2024 at 17.30 at the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government, Dorotheenstraße 84, 10117 Berlin.

Whether deliberate half-truths, disinformation campaigns, conspiracy theories or propaganda: a steady increase in disinformation has been observed worldwide for years. Authoritarian forces in particular are constantly trying to weaken social cohesion and trigger social tensions by spreading targeted disinformation. Russia, in particular, has been trying to destabilize European countries for years with the help of media networks, fake accounts and organized campaigns. Particularly in the run-up to the European elections, it is to be feared that Russia will step up its activities to influence voting behavior, cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election and weaken trust in democratic processes and institutions. It was only at the beginning of the year, for example, that experts were able to uncover a massive network of fake user accounts on the short message service X, which had posted a total of more than one million trilingual tweets accusing the German government of neglecting its own population in order to support Ukraine.

We look forward to discussing this topic with the First Deputy Government Spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann on Tuesday, May 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government.

Together with you and Christiane Hoffmann, N.N. and N.N. we want to address the following and other questions: How dangerous are targeted disinformation campaigns? What role do the media and social networks play in the spread of disinformation and how can they contribute to solving the problem? To what extent should the government intervene to regulate disinformation and what impact can such measures have on freedom of expression? What is the responsibility of major technology companies in the fight against disinformation and how can they act more transparently and proactively to curb the spread of false information? What role do fact-checkers and independent media organizations play in identifying and raising awareness about disinformation, and how can they be better supported? What can everyone do to combat disinformation?

We look forward to your participation. We ask for a binding online registration by 17.05.2024. To register for this event, it is necessary that you provide your full first and last name as well as your date of birth – if you are a teacher and would like to attend the event with your school class, you only need to provide your own data and not that of your students.