The Epidemic of Online Disinformation: Policy and Research Gaps

** Watch the recording here. **

Join policy experts, researchers, and civil society advocates for a discussion of the impact of online disinformation and distrust of democratic institutions, particularly as it relates to the use of misogynistic and racist narratives.

This panel event, co-hosted by the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy and the Center for Democracy & Technology, looks at some of the pressing policy and research issues around online disinformation.

Disinformation is a cross-platform, cross-medium, intersectional problem, so what questions should policymakers be asking? What areas of evidence should disinformation researchers prioritize? The attacks on the U.S. Capitol showed that the epidemic of online disinformation can have severe offline consequences, and yet there are still major research gaps.

As Congress focuses on holding industry accountable for its role in the spread of false narratives online, this discussion aims to highlight important questions about the impact of disinformation on US politics, including disinformation that is targeted to users based on race and gender.

Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET
Date: Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Opening Remarks: Hillary Brill, Interim Executive Director, Georgetown Law, Institute for Technology Law and Policy

Moderator: Anupam Chander, Georgetown University Law Center, and CDT Fellow

Panel Speakers:

• Nora Benavidez, PEN America
• Erin Carroll, Georgetown University Law Center
• DeVan Hankerson Madrigal, Center for Democracy & Technology
• Saiph Savage, West Virginia University, and CDT Fellow

Accessibility: If you have access needs or questions, please contact Timothy Hoagland (he/him), CDT Deputy Director of Communications, in advance of the event via email at [email protected].