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Digital Society Initiative

Fourth DSI Strategy Lab

Disinformation

Weiterführende Informationen

The topic of «disinformation» has become increasingly important in recent years. Although the extent, sponsorship and impact of disinformation campaigns are the subject of scientific controversy, the topic enjoys broad public attention and has led to various legislative measures. One example is the EU's Digital Services Act, which has been in force since February 17, 2024. The central focus is on preventing illegal or harmful online activities and the spread of disinformation.

There are similar efforts in Switzerland. The Federal Council has instructed the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) to draw up a consultation draft on the regulation of communication platforms. The Federal Council wants to strengthen the rights of users in Switzerland and demand more transparency from the platforms without restricting the positive effects of the platforms on freedom of expression. The new provisions should be based on the rules of the European Union's Digital Services Act. However, it is not yet clear to what extent this will also affect the issue of disinformation. The consultation process is scheduled to begin in fall. The aim of the fourth DSI Strategy Lab is to make a contribution to this consultation process and to pay particular attention to the aspect of disinformation.

Scientific committee and involved persons

The Scientific Committee for the fourth DSI Strategy Lab consists of:

  • Prof. Thomas Friemel, UZH/PhF (Communication Science)
  • PD Dr. Markus Christen, UZH/DSI (Ethics)

The following representatives of DSI Communities and partner organizations support the fourth DSI Strategy Lab 2024:

  • DSI Community Communication: Sarah Ebling, Linards Udris, Sabrina Kessler
  • DSI Community Cybersecurity: Melanie Knieps, Leila Cyragan
  • DSI Community Democracy: Fabrizio Gilardi, Karsten Donnay
  • DSI Partner ITSL: Florent Thouvenin

Disinformation Month

In the fall semester 2024, the DSI will hold a series of events on the topic of disinformation under the title «Disinformation Month». Among others, the three DSI communities Communication, Cybersecurity and Democracy will each host an event. All information on the individual events will be available in the DSI event calendar in due course.