Ahead of the European Union parliamentary elections, Google plans to launch a campaign to combat disinformation in five EU countries. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that this week the European law on digital services comes into force . It requires major online platforms and search engines to do more to combat illegal content and public safety risks.
So, starting this spring, Google's internal division Jigsaw, which works to combat threats to society, will launch a series of animated ads on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube in five EU countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland.
The ad will feature so-called "pre-bunking" techniques developed in partnership with researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol, aimed at helping viewers identify manipulative content before they encounter it.
Viewers watching the YouTube ad will be asked to fill out a short, multiple-choice questionnaire to assess what they learned about the disinformation.
It is noted that the Jigsaw ad will be translated into all 24 official EU languages.
We have spent so much time on this really polarizing debate. Our democracy is at stake, and the temperature is getting higher and higher. Pre-bunking is the only technique, at least of all the ones I've seen, that works equally well across the political spectrum
She also believes that other measures to combat disinformation, such as fact-checking, can increase polarization, as they appear after the information has already spread.
The campaign will run for at least one month, with the aim of expanding depending on its reach and effectiveness. The results of the campaign, including survey responses and the number of people reached, are expected to be published in the summer of 2024.
Addendum
It is noted that last month alone, an investigation by the EU External Action Service revealed 750 cases of deliberate dissemination of misleading information by foreign actors. Many of them were in support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Recall
France has exposed a Russian propaganda networkthat has been broadcasting pro-Russian disinformation to more than 200 media outlets to undermine Western support for Ukraine.