RightsCon Tunis 2019

There are increasing efforts in the international community to challenge the value of democratic principles and states. At the same time, emerging technologies have created a new environment for foreign interference operations to support these narratives, particularly in the form of disinformation campaigns. As a result, democratic states have begun to identify, analyze and share information on disinformation, increasingly relying on open source social media analysis. However, one of the technical challenges in identifying disinformation campaigns is establishing those emanating from a foreign source (e.g., state-led or transnational interest group) and those initiated domestically. This distinction, among other ramifications, has significant implications on the type of response that will be undertaken, and by whom, as well as on the effectiveness of the response. With this in mind, this session will offer examples of legal, NGO and government/multinational responses to foreign interference in the form of disinformation.