IDI and the EU Delegation to Israel Convene to Combat Online Disinformation
On December 9, 2024, the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) and European Union (EU) Delegation in Israel jointly hosted a conference with leaders in the field of digital media challenges and regulations to advance solutions.
Photo by: Oded Karni
The conference, headlined Information Integrity and Social Media: The Israeli Experience and Lessons from the EU, brought together key leaders from civil society, media, the diplomatic corps and the private sector, including: Ambassador of the EU to Israel Dimiter Tzantchev; IDI's President Yohanan Plesner and Head of Democracy in the Digital Age Program Dr. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, and various EU officials.
In his opening remarks, Israel Ambassador of the EU to Israel Dimiter Tzantchev said: “Disinformation, information manipulation and influence campaigns have become a weapon in modern geopolitics, shaping public opinion, undermining democratic processes, and endangering our societies. Its impact is felt not only on the individual level, but also in the erosion of trust in institutions and the creation of division and instability, and even fueling violence. This challenge has prompted the EU to take decisive action, working to both mitigate the immediate harm and to prevent future manipulation on social media platforms.”
IDI President Yohanan Plesner opened the conference by noting how online disinformation has exacerbated a particularly tumultuous time in Israel's history, saying, "Throughout multiple ongoing crises, we see efforts by foreign and local entities to spread disinformation... This has played a formidable role in encouraging further polarization, a lack of trust in basic facts and data, and as a catalyzer of extremes that push people away from constructive compromise and problem-solving. We’re honored to have the opportunity to share with our friends what we’ve experienced in Israel, and to have the opportunity to learn from the global leaders in privacy and digital media regulation about the important work being done across the EU."
IDI's Head of Democracy in the Digital Age Program Dr. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler outlined how Israel is currently fighting a war on several fronts on the ground, but also on an additional front, which is the information war on social media, saying: "From the outset of the war, and to this day, it has been apparent that both the social media companies and Israel's regulatory framework are unprepared to contend with the digital front of this conflict. A major part of this problem is the insufficient enforcement of moderation policies on social media platforms, which has allowed for misinformation, offensive videos, and other content that should not be circulating to run rampant."
The conference marks an important exchange of ideas as societies tackle the unprecedented challenges in combatting disinformation and protecting digital integrity. IDI experts said they would utilize lessons learned in the conference as they plan to present concrete policy solutions before Israeli decision-makers.