International Grand Committee on Disinformation

Who We Are

The IGC is an international array of legislators, policy advisors, and other experts who share a recognition of the damage online platforms are doing to their nations’ social fabrics and democratic systems. We are working together to forge international alliances that bring shared, effective strategies into the battle against online disinformation, hate speech, and electoral interference.

UK Parliament/Gabriel Sainhas
UK Parliament/Gabriel Sainhas

The idea of an International Grand Committee on Disinformation and “Fake News” (IGC) arose from a meeting in a Washington, DC pub between four members of Parliament: the UK’s Damian Collins and Ian Lucas, and Canada’s Bob Zimmer and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. Recognizing the common challenges their two nations faced in regulating the increasing – and increasingly malignant – influence of social media platforms, they resolved to bring together colleagues and experts from around the world to search for effective, shared strategies.

The inaugural session of the IGC took place in London on November 27, 2018. Since then, the IGC has met in Ottawa and Dublin, and co-hosted a series of seminars in the United States. Ministers, journalists, technology executives and subject matter experts, concerned about the damage platform-hosted hate, disinformation and fake news are doing to their countries have all taken part, as have parliamentarians from twenty-one nations: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, St. Lucia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The IGC has become an ongoing forum for information sharing, collaboration, and harmonization of policies to address common problems and achieve common goals among democratic states. Participants represent nations that are actively considering legislation to address digital threats to democracy and society. The IGC will also provide opportunities for Members to speak to the media, announce new initiatives, and raise awareness about their work.

Support for some of the logistics and convening of the IGC is provided by Reset, an initiative of Luminate, a part of The Omidyar Group of philanthropies.

Legislators

Damian Collins United Kingdom – MP

Damian Collins

United Kingdom – MP

Damian Noel Thomas Collins is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He has been the Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe since the 2010 general election.
Nate Erskine Smith Canada Kingdom – MP

Nate Erskine Smith

Canada Kingdom – MP

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith is a Liberal Party politician in Canada. He has been a Member of Parliament representing Beaches-East York. He is the youngest MP to be elected in the Greater Toronto Area.
Jan Schakowsky United States – Congress

Jan Schakowsky

United States – Congress

Janice Schakowsky is an American politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for Illinois’s 9th congressional district since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is anchored in Chicago’s North Side, including much of the area bordering Lake Michigan.
David Cicilline United States – Congress

David Cicilline

United States – Congress

David Cicilline is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Rhode Island’s 1st congressional district since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 36th Mayor of Providence from 2003 to 2011.
Phumzile Van Damme South Africa – MP

Phumzile Van Damme

South Africa – MP

Phumzile Van Damme is a Democratic Alliance politician in South Africa. A Member of Parliament since 2014, she serves as the DA Shadow Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies.
Renate Künast Germany – MP

Renate Künast

Germany – MP

Renate Künast is an Alliance 90/The Greens politician in Germany. A long-time politician and lawyer, she has served as a member of the 19th Bundestag since 2017.
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