International Grand Committee on Disinformation

IGC4

Online

December 1-2, 2020

The United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia and Singapore

As the United States deals with its most fiercely contested election in generations and its worst health care crisis in a century, a growing number of Americans are getting their “news” and information through largely unregulated digital platforms — often from sources with stakes in stoking confusion, spreading disinformation, and inciting hatred. How the U.S. and other countries around the world handle the resulting challenges, and what lessons can be learned, were the subject of much discussion at IGC4 — a forum sponsored by The George Washington University’s Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics.

During the two sessions, which took place online December 1 and 2, policymakers from across the globe discussed the various ways by which malevolent actors are exploiting social media for personal and political gain. Participants also assessed platform features that promote extremist voices and messages, and suggested much-needed changes.

2020 Disinformation Review – December 1

9:30am - 11am (EST)
2:30pm - 4pm (GMT)

This first day was a private event, bringing together Parliamentarians from the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, and Singapore to discuss how their individual nations have been affected by issues of online disinformation, platform market dominance, and data privacy.

Next Steps for Platform Regulation – December 2

9:30am - 11am (EST)
2:30pm - 4pm (GMT)

This session began with 45 minutes of discussion between Parliamentarians (open to media attendance) on their hopes and aspirations to develop policies in the following areas:

  • Online harms reforms
  • Data privacy reforms
  • Electoral disinformation reforms
  • Market dominance reforms

Following this, the panel took questions from journalists for 45 minutes.

A video of the full session is provided below.

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