When Fact-Checking Isn’t Enough: Information Operations and Reflections on the European Parliament Elections

From the Cambridge Analytica scandal to the spread on social media of anti-Rohingya content in Myanmar and the interference with elections the world over, the past decade has seen democracies everywhere become the target of a new kind of information operations.

Information operations frequently involve tactics not easily resolved through fact-checking, posing important questions for those fighting back. The selective amplification of reputable media stories to fit an agenda, online harassment and emotional manipulation, and the poisoning of channels of communication all present new types of threats to democracy.

As results and lessons from the European Parliament elections begin to emerge, the Open Society European Policy Institute and Demos will host a panel discussion reflecting on the impact of information operations on these elections—and exploring findings from Demos’ new report, Warring Songs: Information Operations in the Digital Age. We will be joined by representatives of the European External Action Service and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, who will share insights into the role that the EU, international organizations, and electoral observers can play in addressing these challenges.

A light lunch will be provided at 12:30 p.m. Please RSVP by June 11.