CPI Talk: Digital Disinformation and Democracy
Channel: CPI Waterloo
Date: 2022-06-16

Speakers: Bessma Momani and Shelly Ghai Bajaj

Digital disinformation is undermining our democracy. Disinformation is inherently transnational and disrupts our conventional understandings of borders and citizenship. Social media platforms are also challenging to monitor and regulate without infringing upon civil liberties. Research to date overwhelmingly focuses on larger public platforms like Facebook and Twitter with other digital spaces being overlooked as sites for the spread of disinformation.

In this CPI Talk, our hosts Bessma Momani and Shelly Ghai Bajaj discuss:
  how disinformation flows and spreads on direct messaging and private chat applications.
  why they are important digital spaces to study.
  the broader political and social implications of disinformation.

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro What are CPI Talks + Land Acknowledgement
2:04 Intro: Who are the speakers: Bessma Momani and Shelly Ghai Bajaj?
3:19 Research & Presentation Agenda
6:05 Part 1: Defining and understanding disinformation
         12:38 The 7 types of disinformation
15:54 Part 2: Spaces for digital disinformation
         17:43 Examining less visible places
         20:09 Challenges of studying these less visible spaces
         28:22 Disinformation Threat Vectors (Foreign + Domestic)
37:47 Part 3: The Political and democratic implications for disinformation
42:06 Part 4: Responses to digital disinformation and moving forward
51:51 Q&A Session
52:38 Audience comment about how some Telegram chats are clearly paid by Kremlin.
53:06 How does anyone know who to trust these days when we see some evidence of valid contrary viewpoints, E.g. respectable doctors with research challenging what CDC claims about Covid-19 and it’s “vaccines”?
55:07 in the mis/dis/malinformation Venn diagram does it matter that the information *is* false or that the speaker *knows* it is false?
56:47 What do you think of Elon Musk taking increased control of Twitter?
1:00:11 Do you think that having an ESG Score (similar to a Credit Score) for internet etiquette and ethic benefit our democracy?
1:01:29 Audience Comment about loosing trust CBC News and Justin Trudeau after admiring and trusting them for years. 
1:01:54 How to distinguish between early rumours and disinformation? Even psychological issues like homophily, confirmation bias, mitigates the digital hygiene
1:04:27 Do you think Algorithm Laws (implemented by the government) on social media will decrease the spreading of misinformation?
1:06:11You mentioned about 'starting bottom up' i.e. teaching young. How do we ensure that these   young minds, are not left confused and in conflict between something taught in school versus some false information or ideologies they bring from home in their minds?
1:08:10 Would you be willing to comment on the potential impact of disinformation on scientific or technological progress? I'm thinking about climate change science, or electric vehicle developments and adoption.
1:11:59 How can we as individuals contribute to fighting not only disinformation, but its impacts? Ex. when interacting with people whose opinions have been influenced by disinformation, even if they don't actively spread disinformation.
1:13:57 How to contact the speakers + upcoming CPI events!
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