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Governance of Disinformation in Digitalized Public Spheres

Researchers Involved

Prof. Dr. Mark Eisenegger

Prof. Dr. Florent Thouvenin

Dr. Franziska Oehmer

Dr. Stephanie Volz

Dr. Daniel Vogler

research areas

Communication
Legal
Media use
Mis-/Disinformation
News
Politics
Social Media
Switzerland
Tech Intermediaries
Tech Platforms
Technology

timeframe

2021 - 2022

Governance of Disinformation in Digitalized Public Spheres

Communication channels and tech-platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp or Telegram enable the rapid and almost unlimited spread of mis- and disinformation and thus also increase the need for (further) regulation. The joint research project of the Center for Information Technology, Society, and Law (ITSL) and the Research Center Public Sphere and Society (fög) at the University of Zurich identifies and suggests governance options for dealing with mis- and disinformation.

Although the analysis and especially the development of governance options would suggest an interdisciplinary approach, there are hardly any interdisciplinary scientific initiatives to date regarding the governance of mis- and disinformation. In our project, we close this gap and use empirical findings from communication science to identify relevant areas that need (further) regulation and discuss the role of media and data literacy. From the perspective of the law, we identify existing regulatory and enforcement gaps for addressing these problems. Both communication science and legal findings form the basis for the formulation of governance options for mis- and disinformation that consider governmental, organizational and individual measures.

Background

Background

The interdisciplinary project provides answers to the increasingly urgent questions on the governance of mis- and disinformation.

Research Questions

Research Questions

Our project is guided by the following research questions:

  • What problem areas related to mis- and disinformation can be identified in social science research?
  • What is the current legal framework for dealing with disinformation in Switzerland? What regulatory gaps can be identified?
  • What are the governance options for dealing with mis- and disinformation (including forms of self- and co-regulation)?
Project Aim

Project Aim

The goal of our research project is the formulation of governance options for mis- and disinformation, which consider governmental, organizational and individual measures.