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Multi Stakeholder Dialogue hosted by

HIIG – Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society

Wednesday 29th January 2025

Berlin launch of the first report

of the Observatory on Information and Democracy

An initiative by:

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Information Ecosystems and Troubled Democracy

A Global Synthesis of the State of Knowledge on News Media, AI, and Data Governance

Co-authored by

Robin Mansell, Flavia Durach, Matthias Kettemann, Rob Procter, Gyan Tripathi, Emily Tucker

News Media, Politics and Trust

AI, Information Ecosystems and Democracy�

Data Governance and Democracy

and Mis- and Disinformation

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Information Ecosystems and Troubled Democracy

Ch1. Intro: Information Ecosystems and Democracy

Ch2. Information Ecologies, News Media and Politics

Ch3. Artificial Intelligence, Information Ecosystems and Democracy

Ch4. Structural Power and the Political Economy of Mis- and Disinformation

Ch5. Scale of Mis- and Disinformation and Strengthening Literacy

Ch6. Challenges to Governance - Towards Healthy Information Ecosystems

Ch7. Effectiveness of Information Ecosystem Governance

Ch8 . Reimagining Information Ecosystems Governance Institutions and Practices

Ch9 . Concl: Towards Sustainable Information Ecosystems

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Research and Policy should treat ‘Information Ecosystems’ as:

Complex systems with interdependent components (people, practices, values, institutions & technologies)

Mis/Disinformation is only one factor that is troubling democracy

A symptom of changes in society & amplifies changes in society

Seemingly simple statements, but complicating and even contentious – why?

Two Conclusions (of many!)

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Multiple exclusions/inclusions on unequal terms between Global North/Global Majority – difference typically unacknowledged - cuts across all fields, not just topical AI systems.

Inconsistent results on mis/disinformation impacts on trust, political polarization, role of fact-checking, AI filtering – due partly to concept definitions, design/methods, data scarcity, individual attitude/behaviour focus + diverse contexts. �

Big gap between research on impacts and on structures and power re data monetization and claims to data justice.

Analysis of 1,644 cited inputs brings controversy to the forefront

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Empirical evidence on harms of information ecosystems is uncertain or contested by stakeholders.

Claims that high level principles (rights, ethics, safety) & ex post interventions will mitigate harms – wait for certainty/clear evidence.

Claims that ex ante responses damage innovation and competitiveness and are not effective (recent claims re censorship).

Underinvestment in research on bottom-up strategies, e.g. data governance, independent media, collective control of tech innovation.

Challenges for evidence-based policy making for justice, equity, inclusion, safety & rights protections

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Preface: �

The report demonstrates a privileging of knowledge about the information landscape produced in and about the Global North.

Data, resources, research focus, theories

Digital systems and data driven business models are complicit in undermining human rights around the globe

What should be done?

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Talking about disinformation

Mis- and disinformation are complex issues

it is not clear if we talk about the same thing when talking about

disinformation.

There is no consensus in research about

how to define it
reasons for its growth
its risks and effects on democracy
how to best tackle it

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Guidance for policy makers

Many challenges for policy makers!

Esp small countries struggle to set rules for big IT corps

Various measures each country can and –should- take to protect democracy:

restrain power, private and state!

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Specific policy measures (1)

Cross-border policy coalitions vis a vis foreign IT corps

Address the structural asymmetry between legacy and digital

media, because�

Independent journalism: crucial for educated citizenship and democratic

accountability

Important means to combat disinformation

Non-discrimination rules for news content on social media

Strengthen the independence of legacy media

Financially: Redistribute ad revenues to legacy media?

Legally: protect critical journalism incl. journalists, update legal

status of public broadcasters

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Specific policy measures (2)

Transparency provisions for IT corporations

Accountability measures for IT services and tools

Evaluate various content moderation approaches & risks

Support research on sources of disinformation

Regulation of datafication based on data justice principles, with a

focus on marginalized groups

Consideration of alternative datafication models

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Conclusion

Regulating global data monopolies is new territory in need of

trial and error approaches

Jurisdictions can and should learn from each other

Democracies need to learn to defend themselves against

side-effects of IT business models

And against new alliances between IT oligarchies and radical

right-wing forces