Relevance to Internet Governance:
Misinformation has become one of the biggest risks exacerbated by the growth of the Internet, especially with its ability to spread information across mass reach within milli-seconds. As stated by the IGF “The IGF facilitates a common understanding of how to maximize Internet opportunities and address risks and challenges that arise.”, misinformation thus becomes a crucial topic to be discussed within the Internet governance context. The responsibility of the management of the spread of misinformation lies collectively between governments, private and public sectors. With misinformation disrupting global peace and stability, it is an essential topic to be addressed at the Internet Governance Forum.
Relevance to Theme:
This workshop directly addresses one of the main themes of IGF2020 – Trust. Misinformation is inevitable in the online world with the freedom of speech and miscommunication through different channels. Various research has been done on false information and fact-checking, suggesting how internet users are losing trust towards the Internet with the rise of false information, and that current fact-checking mechanisms may be unsuccessful due to the shortcomings in different stakeholders, thus this creates an endless cycle in this withering trust deficit. The session aims at discussing the stakeholders, dilemmas and existing problems within current fact-checking mechanisms, which is crucial as a step towards shaping a dependable fact-checking ecosystem, as well as recognising stakeholders obligation in keeping Internet users safe from misbelieving in false information and minimising the spread of misinformation. From addressing current methodologies, this leads up to the discussion on the potential development of a global benchmark of best practices of fact-checking based on the multistakeholder model and other methodologies from multiple disciplines. Hence, a fair, inclusive and transparent fact-checking process could be established, allowing the trustworthiness of fact-checkers and fact-checking systems to be ensured.
The session also seeks to give both onsite and remote participants the opportunity to share and explore their concerns and suggestions towards new models and solutions in relation to existing fact-checking mechanisms and their corresponding improvements, potentially a universally agreed on and trusted system. As stated by the IGF, “Trust in the online world is a prerequisite for the Internet to develop its potential as a tool for empowerment, a channel of free speech and an engine of economic development.”. In this context of misinformation and fact-checking, it is crucial for trust to relate to the dependability, transparency and resilience of the entire fact-checking operation, together with the concern for people’s safety from misinformation, so as to achieve a peaceful and inclusive environment, along with preventing the entire society from plummeting into chaos due to false information online.