Browse Major Initiatives, Centres, Institutes

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is an independent, non-partisan think tank whose peer-reviewed research and trusted analysis influence policy makers to innovate. Its global network of multidisciplinary researchers and strategic partnerships provide policy solutions for the digital era with one goal: to improve people’s lives everywhere. Headquartered in Waterloo, Canada, CIGI has received support from the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and founder Jim Balsillie.

The Centre for Disinformation Studies (CDS)

The Centre for Disinformation Studies (CDS) is a nonpartisan research and public outreach wing of the NATO Association of Canada, created in April 2019. The goal of the CDS is to facilitate engagement between academics, government, and the public on the topic of disinformation or ‘fake news’. Although disinformation has long been an aspect of human communication, new technologies and a changing international landscape have pushed the idea of disinformation into public awareness in unprecedented ways. The spread of disinformation in recent years has been facilitated by the proliferation of online social networks and digital information-sharing platforms. These new technologies have eroded public trust in conventional sources of information and have helped spread skepticism towards science, academia, and democratic institutions. [email protected]

Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy - McGill

A research centre dedicated to understanding the relationship between media, technology and democracy. Collaborating with a network of academic, policy, journalistic and community stakeholders, the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy works to understand and address the democratic harms of emerging media technologies and to inform and develop fair and accountable governance systems.

Digital Disinformation and COVID-19

(Page from Ontario Science Centre)

The entire world has been living through a pandemic since early 2020. We know that we all play a part in protecting ourselves and others from COVID-19. Actions we take—mask wearing, hand washing, keeping physical distance from others—help slow the spread of the virus.

Centre for Free Expression

The Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University is a hub for public education, research and advocacy on free expression and the public’s right to know. Its work is undertaken in collaboration with academic and community-based organizations across Canada and internationally.

The Centre for Free Expression examines the nature, use and effects of disinformation to influence public opinion and personal choice. It fosters public discussion and education regarding information literacy and ways to achieve a more effective regulatory system.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security

The Cyber Centre is the single unified source of expert advice, guidance, services and support on cyber security for government, critical infrastructure owners and operations, the private sector and the Canadian public. With the Cyber Centre, Canadians have a clear and trusted place to turn to for cyber security issues.

Digital Citizens Initiative

The Digital Citizen Initiative is a multi-component strategy that aims to support democracy and social cohesion in Canada by building citizen resilience against online disinformation and building partnerships to support a healthy information ecosystem.

The Digital Citizen Initiative also supports a community of Canadian researchers that promote a healthy information ecosystem, to help Canadians and the Government understand online disinformation and its impact on Canadian society, and in turn build an evidence-base to identify potential action and develop future policymaking.

UNITED STATES

Wilson Center / Disinformation

Disinformation, the deliberate and often covert spreading of false information, has radically changed the media and security landscapes. The Wilson Center recognizes it is not enough to see the impact of disinformation, but necessary to map out a way to combat disinformation through policy. They take a global approach, informed both by current efforts as well as historical examples, such the Cold War.

INTERNATIONAL

Bellingcat

We Are Bellingcat tells the story of how a school dropout created a whole new category of information-gathering and galvanised citizen journalists to solve some of the biggest stories of our time, using just their computer screens. It charts the tools that have been developed for analysing data since the 1990s, from geo-location software that can pinpoint a precise place, to an app that can identify to the half hour the time of day when a photograph was taken. It also digs deep into some of Bellingcat’s most successful investigations – the truth about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over the Ukraine, the sourcing of weapons in the Syrian Civil War, scoops into journalistic phone hacking, etc.

Psychological Defence Agency - Sweden

The Agency safeguards open and democratic society and free formation of opinion through identifying, analyzing and countering foreign malign information influence, disinformation, and other misleading information directed at Sweden or at Swedish interests.

The main mission of the agency is to lead the coordination and development of Sweden’s psychological defence in collaboration with public authorities and other stakeholders in society. They offer support to government agencies, municipalities, regions, the business sector, and organisations, as well as contribute to strengthening the resilience of our population.

European Commission: Shaping Europe’s digital future

Tacking online disinformation:

The Commission is tackling the spread of online disinformation and misinformation to ensure the protection of European values and democratic systems.

European Digital Media Observatory

EDMO is an independent observatory bringing together fact-checkers and academic researchers with expertise in the field of online disinformation, social media platforms, journalist driven media and media literacy practitioner.

EDMO promotes scientific knowledge on online disinformation, advanced the development of fact-checking services and promotes media literacy programs.