Disinformation

The proliferation and widespread circulation of disinformation on the internet is one of the most pressing dangers facing democracies today. Popular platforms have pursued numerous initiatives to combat the spread of disinformation. Still, it remains a challenging task given that, so often, these efforts involve judgment by social media companies to determine the veracity of speech and information. Policymakers also must balance genuine concerns about the harms of disinformation with policy interventions that could result in excessive censorship by platforms. Transparency measures by companies to disclose content moderation decisions and provide researchers access to data are general areas of consensus for improving the status quo. However, policymakers can also look at privacy, antitrust, and design-focused policies that could mitigate the scale and reach of online disinformation.