June 27: Seminar on Measuring Fake News in Germany

Event: Measuring Fake News in Germany

Time: June 27, 2017 from 18.00 – 20.00

Guest: Alexander Sängerlaub, Leader of the project Measuring Fake News at Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV)

Moderator: Joanna Bronowicka, Director at the CIHR, European University Viadrina

Social media and digital technologies created a new media ecosystem that has become a challenge for democracy and its institutions – especially during elections. The fake news debate is symptomatic of this change.

In Germany, the discussion reveals that there are many fears but hardly any reliable data. It is also unclear how effective already introduced counter measures really are.

In our project “Measuring Fake News” we get to the bottom of things. One goal is to understand and explain the scope and effects of fake news in Germany by collecting and analyzing data – together with an international network of experts. Another goal is to ascertain data about the success of debunking.

More about the project in German here.

Registration: Register here or send an email to ue.rhicnull@eciffo

Place: Stiftung Neue Verantwortung e.V.

Address: Beisheim Center, Berliner Freiheit 2, D-10785 Berlin

About the series: The CIHR Debates: Elections in the Digital Age

Has technology changed the way we vote? Why do populists succeed on social networks? What is the impact of hacking and leaks on elections? Should fake news be regulated? Can microtargetting political ads change how people vote? As the German federal elections are approaching, we want to see what lessons can be learned from recent elections in US and Europe.

If you are interested in the topic, you can join the discussion with other Berlin-based experts organized by the Centre for Internet and Human Rights. The CIHR is a vibrant hub for academic research about technology and society. Our goal is to inform current public and academic debates by producing high-quality research grounded in theory and empirical data.

On July 12, we host a lecture by dr Michał Kosinski, a psychologist and data scientist from Stanford University who developed a method to analyze people based on their Facebook activity.