Researching Asian information disorder and responses

 

With over 2.3 billion internet users, South Asia and Southeast Asia present a complex set of challenges and opportunities for public information. Coordinated inauthentic behaviours and artificial intelligence, the use of social bots and the creation of visual and audio ‘deep fakes’ have all increased the scale and complexity of information integrity in the region. Online disinformation and misinformation campaigns created to mislead, harm or manipulate a person, social group, organization or country have serious social and political consequences, including undermining elections, exacerbating political polarization and deepening social cleavages. Responses to mitigate information disorder are undermined by the lack of effective legal and corporate safeguards, a large and growing population of first-time digital users, decentralized and under-resourced initiatives working to counter disinformation and strengthen digital literacy, and limited understanding of the ever-evolving landscape.

This project will support creation of a research hub on strengthening information ecosystems to deepen understanding of information disorder and strengthen information integrity approaches in South Asia and Southeast Asia. This hub seeks to improve knowledge of the drivers and impacts of disinformation and to identify areas for policy reform, public action and program investment. It will pursue national or local-level studies that link with comparative research or meta-analysis to inform policy guidance, enhance the impact of ongoing initiatives that respond to disinformation and better anticipate future threats.