Our team presented the latest research about the manipulation of public opinion over social media in London to launch our case study series on Computational Propaganda Worldwide. This briefing helped ground a group conversation about the prospects for improving deliberative democracy and provided a first look at the Lab’s most recent research findings from a series of country specific case studies. Two further events were held in Washington, DC, and in Palo Alto.
These events included an executive summary by the lead investigators, comments by specific case study authors, and an open Q&A session with attendees. This case studies series focused on the spread of computational propaganda in nine countries, including several with recent or upcoming elections: Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Poland, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the United States. Each case study involved an investigation of digital misinformation in domestic politics, with particular attention to the role of automated and algorithmic manipulation. We presented a summary of the findings and offer some conclusions on the impact of these trends on public life.
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Where and When: June 19, 2017 (London: Mishcon de Reya, Africa House, 70 Kingsway), June 20, 2017 (Washington: National Democratic Institute; 455 Massachusetts Avenue NW), June 21, 2017 (Palo Alto).
A recording of the DC event is available on Youtube.