‘The room where it happens’: Hacking disinfo through encrypted messaging apps

Participants:Dr. Mausumi Bhattacharyya, Associate Professor in Mass Communication, Centre for Journalism & Mass Communication, Visva-BharatiMarianna Tanagia, Communications Director at DCN GlobalDiana Filimon, Journalist & Member of DCN GlobalBetty Tsakarestou, Associate Professor and Head of ADandPRLAB at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, GreeceModerator: Aurra Kawanzaruwa, Manager of DCN AFRICA Outstanding quotes:“The big casualty of disinformation is trust. It is difficult now for people to believe in something, which was not the case earlier. Now, because of these words, fake news, deep fake, misinformation, disinformation, there is always a question mark in the back of people’s minds.” - Mausumi Bhattacharyya“If you are not literate enough, if you are not digitally literate enough, it’s very difficult for you to identify what is misinformation and what is disinformation and how to combat that!” - Mausumi Bhattacharyya“Education and literacy should be part of a more holistic approach of interventions, not as a single intervention, as we thought a few years ago.” – Betty Tsakarestou“In order to spot misinformation, first things first, don’t rush. Whenever you are getting something through any channel, just try to process it. Just try to understand the context, try to understand the situation. But if you are very excited about the news or have any doubt about it, please go to the fact checking websites that are available. I would ask all the youngsters to do that before forwarding the news.” - Mausumi Bhattacharyya“With the introduction of web 4.0 and crypto and the Metaverse and the NFTs, we are awash with information. We live in a digital age where information is microwavable, everything is instant, everything is instantly in your phone, you already have the information at your fingertips. So, it’s really easy to get lost.” - Aurra Kawanzaruwa DisinfoHacks Project is an innovative training program that brings together partners expertise, engaging an ecosystem of communication and media stakeholders, startup innovators and influencers in identifying, assessing, and combating disinformation." Organized by DCN Global, #ADandPRLAB, YET, funded by U.S. Department of State and U.S. Mission in Greece, supported by Found.ation and SocialInnov.