The Infotagion Podcast with Damian Collins MP: Recent Episodes
Damian Collins
Welcome to the Infotagion podcast, the vaccine to disinformation. Hosted by Damian Collins MP, co-founder of Infotagion and former chair of the House Of Commons select committee for Digital Culture, Media, and Sport.
We are joined by Julie Inman Grant, Australia's eSafety Commisioner.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/report
Today we are joined by Rasmus Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and Professor of Political Communication at the University of Oxford.
We are joined by Jamie Susskind, author of the new book The Digital Republic: On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century and fellow at The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence.
The Digital Republic is out now on Bloomsbury Publishing
@jamiesusskind
Joining us on the first episode of season three is Brandon Silverman, the founder and former CEO of Crowdtangle discussing the the future of news media on social media. We are also joined by regular contributor, filmmaker and disinformation analyst Charles Kriel.
What actions are the Big Tech platforms taking to protect users from online harms and from censorship? How are they balancing user safety with their business interests? And why do we need an Online Safety Bill to hold them accountable to it? In this special episode, Damian Collins MP looks back at when Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube and TikTok gave evidence to Parliament, followed by a discussion with Darren Jones MP.
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How do you balance freedom of expression with the need to safeguard people from online harms? What role can journalism play to step the tide of online disinformation? And how do you protect journalists, who are attacked and censored online for doing their job and holding truth to power? In this Online Safety Bill special series, Damian Collins MP looks back on the evidence Nobel Peace Prize Maria Ressa provided to the Joint Committee on the Draft Online Safety Bill, followed by a discussion with fellow Committee member Lord (Guy) Black of Brentwood.
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen gives her explosive evidence on damaging practices at the company to the Joint Committee examining the U.Ks Online Safety Bill.
Damian Collins MP is joined by Debbie Abrahams MP to unpack.
For the eighth episode in the Inside Europe series, Damian Collins MP speaks with University of Sheffield Professor Kalina Bontcheva and Dnevnik journalist Angel Petrov to discuss the recent elections in Bulgaria and threat of disinformation to the Balkans.
Should scam ads be part of the Online Safety Bill? Martin Lewis passionately makes the case. Would a culture change at Facebook lead to better safety for users online? Facebook whistleblower Sophie Zhang thinks so. UK regulators and the City of London police also give their views on the Bill.
Damian Collins MP is joined by Lord Jim Knight to unpack the latest round of evidence from expert witnesses for their views on the Online Safety Bill.
For the seventh episode in the Inside Europe series, Damian Collins MP speaks with Antonis Klapsis (Assistant Professor at University of Peloponnese) and Georgios Samaras (Assistant Lecturer at UCL) to discuss the rise of the extremist politics and the threat social media disinformation poses to the said birthplace of democracy.
How do user interactions shape content algorithms? Are vulnerable people being purposefully targeted with harmful content? And how realistic is it that harmful content will be taken down before it causes harm? In this Online Safety Bill special series, Damian Collins MP unpacks the evidence heard from Laura Edelson, Guillaume Chaslot, and Renee diResta followed by a discussion with committee member Lord (Tim) Clement-Jones.
For the sixth episode in the Inside Europe series, Damian Collins MP speaks with intelligence expert Alex Orlowski, author Jacopo Jacoboni, and Damian Tambini, Distinguished Policy Fellow in the Department of Media and Communications, to discuss Italian politics and ways in which Russian oligarchs and the American NRA influence the far right.
For the fifth episode in the Inside Europe series, Damian Collins MP speaks with Theophile Lenoir of Institut Montaigne and Rudy Reichstadt founder of ConspiracyWatch.info to discuss the state of democracy in France and how political parties are taking advantage of the spread of disinformation.
Why is Wikipedia not in the headlines for causing harm to users like Facebook is? How does a community based approach to content moderation work? What do top academics and the UK’s data regulator, the ICO, think of the draft Online Safety Bill? Damian Collins MP unpacks the evidence heard from Will Perrin, Dr Edina Harbinja, Prof. Clare McGlynn, Sonia Livingstone, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham and ICO’s Stephen Bonner.
For the fourth episode in the Inside Europe series, Damian Collins MP speaks with Jonas Parello-Plesner, Program Director at the Alliance of Democracies in Copenhagen, to look at democracy in Scandinavia and the threat it may come under in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
A state of emergency has been declared in Poland for the first time since 1989. With the freedom of the media under threat, is Poland at risk of losing its democracy? For the third episode in the Inside Europe series, Damian Collins MP unpacks these issues in Poland with author and Director of External Engagement at Aletha Group Nina Jankowicz, and Anna Wojcik fellow of the German Marshall Fund.
Targetting people living with epilepsy with flashing images online, images of suicide and self-harm and abuse towards women, this week the Joint Committee on the Online Safety Bill heard shocking evidence of the real life impact of online harms. Damian Collins MP unpacks the evidence heard from witnesses Ian Russell, Izzy Wick, Nina Jankowicz, Clare Pelham and Matt Harrison with SNP committee member, John Nicholson MP.
The Federal elections in Germany are fast approaching, the first without Angela Merkel as the lead candidate for the CDU. How has social media shaped the discourse for this poll amid an ongoing pandemic? For the second in the Inside Europe series, Damian Collins MP unpacks these questions with journalist Karolin Schwarz, and academic experts Felix Kartte, and Lisa-Maria Neudert.
Is the Online Safety Bill fit for purpose? The Joint Committee on the Online Safety Bill has been appointed to scrutinise this seminal piece of legislation, which will begin its journey into law in 2022. Each week, MPs and Peers on the Committee will hear from expert witnesses on the implications of the Bill for society. In this special mini-series of Infotagion, Damian Collins MP, now Chair of the Committee, takes us through some of the evidence heard by the Committee and talks to Members about their personal reflections on the inquiry and the Bill itself.
Trump-Russia dossier author Chris Steele, historian and writer Anne Applebaum and academic Phil Howard join Damian Collins MP to kick off this special series of Infotagion: Inside Europe. Each week Damian and disinformation expert Dr Charles Kriel will take a deep dive into the role of social media disinformation in the rise of populism across Europe with expert guests.
A special episode of Infotagion recorded from the IPPR Oxford Media Convention 2021 featuring panellists Marietje Schaake, International Policy Director at the Cyber Policy Center, Stanford University, Ben Scott, Executive Director, Reset, Professor Lorna Woods, Professor of Internet Law, University of Essex, Dr Charles Kriel, Writer, Filmmaker, Producer; Co-founder of Metrotone Media and chaired by Damian Collins MP.
Damian Collins MP picks the brain of Sinan Aral, Director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and author of the much cited book on the spread of misinformation “Hype Machine.” He talks about what it was like to work directly with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to track down fake news. Dr Charles Kriel joins to discuss the Mayoral election in New York City.
Damian Collins MP is joined by author Matthew d’Ancona to discuss identity politics in the digital age, following the publication of his new book Identity, Ignorance, Innovation: Why the old politics is useless - and what to do about it. Dr Charles Kriel joins to discuss the evolution of facist imagery.
Damian Collins MP introduces a special panel discussion: “Regulating Social Media and Protecting the public from harm” recorded at the Alliance of Democracies 2021 summit in Copenhagen. Featuring Werner Stengg, Jeremy Wright MP, Tanit Koch, Michael Chertoff and John Samples.
What next for the Online Safety Bill in the U.K.? Damian Collins MP is joined by former Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright MP and Bertie Vidgen from the Alan Turing Institute to discuss.
Despite being told as a young girl she shouldn’t go near the digital space, Shireen Mitchell went on to found Digital Sisters and Stop Online Violence Against Women, the first organization dedicated to bringing women and girls of color online. This week she joins Damian Collins MP to discuss the movement she created and her observations on voter suppression on social media during the 2016 election. Dr Charles Kriel talks disinformation in China.
This week Damian Collins MP speaks to two organisations helping to improve media literacy by giving readers the tools to help navigate away from fake news. Andy Parsons is the Director of the Adobe Content Authenticity initiative and Anna-Sophie Harling is the Managing Director in Europe of Newsguard, who publish trust ratings for thousands of websites. Dr Charles Kriel discusses the worrying trend of vaccine hesitancy amongst health care workers because of disinformation.
For this special 50th episode, Damian Collins MP is joined by Senator Mark Warner. Chair of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Warner has been one of the leading voices in the campaign to address social media regulation and fight against disinformation. He is currently the sponsoring the new Safe Tech Act legislation in the US. Dr Charles Kriel joins to reflect on 50 episodes of Infotagion. This special episode was recorded at Voxpod studio in London www.voxpod.studio
In recent years we’ve seen social media platforms abused to execute campaigns of genocide, lynchings and an attempted insurrection in Washington D.C. Whilst people enjoy the right of free speech, incitement to commit an illegal act is an offence. But is the law adequately defined for the digital age? Damian Collins MP is joined by Professor Richard Wilson from the University of Connecticut School of Law, the author of 11 books on international human rights. Dr Charles Kriel updates on the latest with right wing social media platform, Parler.
There’s a growing problem with racism and hate speech on social media, corresponding directly with a rise in reported hate crime. Sports people and celebrities are particular targets. Damian Collins MP is joined by the Chair of the Kick it Out campaign, Sanjay Bhandari, and Charlie Brooks, Director of Communications at Manchester United to discuss. Dr Charles Kriel (whose version of football is done with a helmet) joins.
In recent days, the eyes of the tech world have turned to Australia and its dispute between their government and Facebook, after a new law was passed requiring Google and Facebook to provide financial support to the news industry. Controversially in the week before the law passed, Facebook removed all Australian news content to put itself outside scope of this new law. Damian Collins MP discusses the resulting fallout with Australian MP Anne Webster, sports writer and anti corruption campaigner Bonita Mersiades and Matt Nguyen, policy lead at Reset Australia. As ever Dr Charles Kriel joins.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more integral to our lives. Yet concerns have been raised about biases in AI that might promote harmful content or discriminate against people. Washington State has passed a new law requiring independent testing of new APIs for facial recognition technologies. Should this approach be extended to other technologies across the world? Damian Collins MP is joined by Owen Larter, Director of Public Policy for the Office of Responsible AI at Microsoft to discuss. Dr Charles Kriel discusses the ousting of the CEO of Parler, the right wing social media network.
In India, riotous mobs acting on disinformation campaigns and rumours on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have been responsible for many murders and even lynches. Yet the social media companies have done little in response. Damian Collins MP is joined by Dr Shashi Tharoor, former Indian government Minister and Under Secretary General for the UN to discuss. Dr Charles Kriel discusses the brewing privacy wars between Apple and Facebook.
The Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, published by the European Union in December 2020, will require more effective action against harmful content from the big tech companies. Damian Collins MP is joined by Marietje Schaake (from a cabin in the Netherlands) a former MEP to discuss. Felix Kartte from the EU’s External Action Service also joins to talk about the implications of both acts for the future of tech regulation in Europe. Dr Charles Kriel analyses the surprising rise of disinformation about the US election targeted at ethnic and immigrant communities.
January 6th 2021 will be remembered as the day the insurrection incited online by Donald Trump against the result of the Presidential election took over Capitol Hill and led the death of 5 people. Social media disinformation, some of it from the President himself, has stoked tensions to fever pitch. What will be the long term impact of so much poison being pumped into the political system in America? Damian Collins MP discusses with Clint Watts, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University. Dr Charles Kriel discusses how Trump has been taken off the major social media platforms in response.
In December 2020, both the U.K. government and the European Commission published new proposals that would require social media companies to take more effective action against disinformation and harmful content. What should we reasonably expect them to achieve? And how can we audit whether they are doing enough? This week Damian Collins MP is joined by Lyric Jain, founder and CEO of Logically, a social enterprise specialising in the use of AI To identify fake news and improve how we consume and interact with information online. Dr Charles Kriel discusses the disinformation movements on the rise post Joe Biden’s US election win.
Should disinformation be treated as a threat to security? The Transatlantic Commission on Election Integrity Co-Chairs, former NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and former US Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff join Damian Collins MP this week to discuss.They discuss the work the Commission does to safeguard elections in the digital age. Dr Charles Kriel joins from Oslo.
“I know first hand why and how democracy is dieing” writes Chief Executive of news agency Rappler, Maria Ressa, in a new report for the working group on Infodemics. Her work exposing corruption in the Philippines leaves her facing criminal charges. She shares her thoughts on reform of social media and the future of tech regulation with Damian Collins MP. Dr Charles Kriel unpacks the impact of the COVID-19 anti-vaccine movement online as the U.K. is the first to roll out the vaccine.
After a major investigation into the misuse of personal data for political purposes by Cambridge Analytica, the U.K. Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, talks to Damian Collins MP about her investigation’s conclusions and what comes next. With their reaction, Infotagion brings together three key witnesses to the scandal, Dr Emma Briant, Professor David Carroll and Chris Vickery.
The week following the US election saw disinformation campaigns spread rapidly online seeking to undermine public confidence in the vote. What approach might the new Biden-Harris administration take to tackling this problem and regulating big tech? Damian Collins MP talks to Dr. Mike Carpenter, former foreign policy adviser to Joe Biden and Managing Director for the Penn-Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Administration. Dr. Charles Kriel discusses the new conspiracy peddling movement “Stop the Steal” and the fall out on and offline following the election from the ground in Alabama.
The role of social media in this 2020 US election has received more scrutiny than ever before. Will this, combined with new policies introduced by the tech companies, help the protect the election? Damian Collins MP asks Laura Edelson, lead researcher for NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering Online Political Ads Transparency Project. Dr Charles Kriel reports from Alabama on the latest in disinformation around the US election.
As news breaks that the Justice Department’s long-expected antitrust lawsuit against Google has been filed, Damian Collins MP talks to Congressman and Chairman of the House Antitrust Subcommittee David Cicilline about how this case could transform tech regulation. They are joined by Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Susan Berfield, author of The Hour of Fate: Theodore Roosevelt, JP Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism. Dr Charles Kriel unpacks the allegations in the New York Post regarding Hunter Biden, which many conclude is Russian disinformation.
In an extraordinary internal memo given to Buzzfeed, a Facebook employee reveals her shock at the lack of action to tackle fake accounts designed to disrupt elections around the world. Ryan Mac, Buzzfeed's Senior Tech reporter, unpacks the significance of the memo with Damian Collins MP. Emily Taylor, CEO of Oxford Information Labs and associate fellow at Chatham House, discusses how the rise of medical misinformation during the pandemic is leading to community tensions. Dr. Charles Kriel reports from the US where the internet buzzes with discussion about the potential fallout from the upcoming election.
Our resident fake news expert, Dr Charles Kriel, turns guest this week as he discusses his new documentary People You May Know, a joint project with his partner, Director Kat Gellein Viken. The film follows Kat and Charles on a journey of discovery from Westminster to America’s Deep South. They discover Cambridge Analytica collaborating with US churches to unleash a micro- targeting platform targeting vulnerable people - the poor, the grieving, the addicted - to enlist them into supporting far-right politics.
How do Facebook Ad Tools actually work? Can online political ads truly change our minds about how to vote? Damian Collins MP asks one of Facebook’s first Ad Tool's executives, Antonio García Martínez, the author of Chaos Monkeys: Mayhem and Mania Inside the Silicon Valley Money Machine. Dr Charles Kriel discusses the new academic study proving that disinformation about the coronavirus kills.
How can we curtail hate speech and disinformation while protecting freedom of expression online? Damian Collins MP is joined by former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission Susan Ness and journalism professor at CUNY, Jeff Jarvis. Both are senior members of the Transatlantic High-Level Working Group on Content Moderation Online and Freedom of Expression, based at the Annenberg Center at the University of Pennsylvania. They discuss the findings of their first seminal report on the subject.
What is the potential impact of deepfake technology on politics? How can people identify real films from ones which have been manipulated? Damian Collins MP is joined by Nina Schick, author of Deep Fakes and the Infocalypse: what you urgently need to know.Giorgio Patrini, CEO of Deeptrace, discusses how his start-up works to defend people from the threat of deepfakes.
Renée DiResta from the Stanford Internet Observatory was part of the investigative team for the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report into election interference. This week, she tells Damian Collins MP what they found when digging into the data. Tom Firth, Managing Director of M&C Saatchi discusses the revolution in advertising in a digital era.
The Stop Hate for Profit campaign has been successful in persuading major brands like Adidas, Coca Cola and Unilever to pause their advertising on Facebook and demand the company does more to stop the spreading of harmful content. Jim Steyer, the founder and CEO of Commons Sense media, and one of the driving forces behind this campaign joins Damian to discuss Facebook regulation and more. Dr. Charles Kriel discusses Twitter’s moves to crack down on QAnon content.
In 1995 Craig Newmark launched Craigslist, which has since become one of the biggest and most successful online communities ever. Today his philanthropic foundation supports projects that promote quality journalism and investigative reporting. This week he joins Damian Collins to discuss the role of tech giants in society and his thoughts on how a Biden-Harris administration might handle future regulation. They contemplate the future of journalism in a world where increasingly people get their news through the lens of social media. Dr. Charles Kriel unpacks the anticipated fifth and final report from the Senate Intelligence Committee’s three year-long investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election.
In his first ever on-the-record broadcast interview, Trump-Russia dossier author and ex-MI6 officer Chris Steele joins Damian Collins MP for a special extended edition of the podcast. They discuss the extent of Russian interference in public and political life in the West, and why governments are behind the curve tackling the threat. Joining them is Luke Harding, Guardian journalist and author of the new book Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem and Russia’s remaking of the West. Dr. Charles Kriel wonders what new methods the Russians might be developing behind the scenes.
Damian Collins MP is joined by John Borthwick, Chair of the COVID-19 Technology Taskforce and CEO of Betaworks, who were early investors in Twitter and Tumblr. They discuss the tech companies' response to COVID-19 and compare track and trace technologies around the word.
How does the newly elected Fianna Fáil government in Ireland plan to tackle misinformation and tech regulation? James Lawless, the party’s science and technology spokesperson, discusses with Damian Collins MP. They are joined by BBC’s disinformation reporter, Marianna Spring who reveals what it’s like engaging with the social media companies when investigating disinformation. Dr Charles Kriel investigates “alternative cancer care” ads on Facebook.
The NHSX COVID-19 tracker app in the UK still isn’t fully operational. Did the UK Government choose the wrong tech, or do the tech companies have too much control over the data that’s gathered by their systems? Matt Burgess, Deputy Digital Editor at Wired UK and Michael Veale, Lecturer in Digital Rights and regulation at UCL, join Damian to discuss. Lucy Dargahi unpacks the latest reports that after a spike in engagement with anti-vaxx content online, up to a third of people say they would hesitate to take a coronavirus vaccine.
When Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the web, it was intended for everyone. Now it is dominated by a few tech companies who have accumulated huge amounts of data on its users. So Tim decided to make a change. He launched Solid, an open source platform, built to decentralise the web and give citizens more power over their data. Alongside this, a new business called Inrupt was created to design and deliver new services from this technology. VP for Trust and Digital Ethics at Inrupt, Davi Ottenheimer, joins Damian Collins this week. Dr Charles Kriel unpacks the new Twitter-like platform for conservatives, Parler.
Following the terrorist attacks in Christchurch in March 2019 which were live-streamed to Facebook, Australia passed world-leading legislation that imposed tougher financial and criminal consequences for social media companies if they failed to expedite the removal of violent or extreme content. Damian Collins discusses with Dave Sharma, former diplomat and Federal Member of Parliament for Wentworth in Australia. Dr. Charles Kriel examines the latest developments in Russian trolling techniques.
Oscar winning film producer David Puttnam joins Damian Collins MP this week. Lord Puttnam Chairs the House of Lords Select Committee on Democracy and Digital Technologies. Their most recent report pointed to an ‘unacceptable’ delay to the UK Government’s Online Harms Bill. Dr Charles Kriel investigates whether Cambridge Analytica has returned.
What happens when a company’s adverts appear next to disinformation or hate speech? Damian Collins MP discusses with Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate after their recent Stop Funding Fake News campaign caught the attention of Donald Trump Jnr and Steve Bannon. Chris Stokel-Walker, author of YouTubers unpacks social media company's attitudes and policies to content moderation. Dr Charles Kriel examines disinformation from the White House.
For this special edition of the podcast, Damian Collins MP speaks to Baiba Braže, the Assistant Secretary-General of NATO for Public Diplomacy, and Burcu San, the Director of Preparedness in the body’s Operations Division. They discuss the Alliance’s efforts to tackle modern information warfare.
Is it time for a 'Bretton Woods' for tech? What role are UK companies playing in keeping people safe online? Damian Collins MP discusses with former co-CEO of Blackberry, Jim Balsillie and Adam Hildreth from Crisp, a leading company in tech safety. Dr Charles Kriel debunks the theory about a US government 'plot' to spread COVID-19 through a new special-issue quarter.
Is it possible to safely moderate internet platforms like Facebook? Mark Zuckerberg’s former mentor turned biggest critic, Roger McNamee, thinks not. The author of Zucked joins Damian Collins MP to discuss reforming Section 230, Joe Biden’s campaign on political ads and continuing internal dissent at the company. The New York Times’ Adam Satariano discusses the evolving influence of tech platforms over the years and the culture war on journalism. Dr Charles Kriel reports that a publication peddling hard right theories “The Epoch Times” is being pushed through letterboxes in West Sussex.
The former President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, joins Damian Collins MP this week. They discuss Estonia’s ground-breaking journey to becoming a fully digital society plus his views on disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Dr Charles Kriel reports that the EU has accused China of running disinformation campaigns about the coronavirus, the first time they have publicly called out China in this way.
Facebook is under attack about its decisions over content, but this time it's current and former employees who are speaking out. Damian Collins MP discusses this and more with former White House adviser and Facebook executive Yael Eisenstat and CEO of Digital Content Next Jason Kint. Dr Charles Kriel analyses the patterns of Black Lives Matter trolls online. John Quinlan unpacks further false claims surrounding Bill Gates.
Tom Tugendhat, Chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and Jakub Janda, Director of European Values Center for Security Policy join Damian Collins MP this week. They discuss disinformation networks from China and Russia during the pandemic and the recent civil unrest in the US following the murder of George Floyd. Dr. Charles Kriel highlights concerns over the flow of data from the NHSX app to Palantir. John Quinlan unpacks a quote from the Chair of the CDC taken out of context.
Did Professor David Carroll ever get his data back from Cambridge Analytica? The New School Professor and star of “The Great Hack” Netflix documentary catches up with Damian Collins MP to reflect on how the scandal impacted the world. Gian Volpicelli, Tech and Politics Editor of Wired UK, joins to discuss Trump’s war on Twitter, Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act and the unrest in the US. Dr Charles Kriel highlights the myths circulating around smoking and coronavirus.
John Nicolson MP, the SNP’s spokesperson for for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport joins Damian Collins MP to discuss Twitter’s decision to call out Trump’s tweets and increased attacks on the media during the pandemic. Shakuntala Banaji, Professor of Media, Culture and Social Change at LSE describes the horrific real life impact by WhatsApp disinformation campaigns in India. Dr Charles Kriel talks Twitter bots and John Quinlan’s busts the myth around microchips in coronavirus vaccines.
What’s it like being a journalist or a fact checker during this pandemic? Claire Wardle, US Director of First Draft, talks about misinformation techniques she has been studying for years being writ large during coronavirus. Former BBC and Buzzfeed journalist Joey D’Urso unpacks the important relationship between the social media giants and the media. Dr Charles Kriel describes the pitfalls of publishing papers without peer review and John Quinlan clears up whether the Gates Foundation just lost a big court case over vaccinations.
Is COVID disinformation being used to fuel existing geopolitical tensions and further certain political agendas? What misinformation trends should we be looking out for ahead of the 2020 US election? Phil Howard, Director of the Oxford Institute and Peter Pomerantsev, author of “This Is Not Propaganda” join Damian Collins MP this week to discuss. Dr Charles Kriel shares his favourite COVID conspiracy theory meme and John Quinlan unpacks one of the popular theories flagged to Infotagion this week: whether you’re immune after you’ve had the virus.
Tristan Harris, former Google insider and co-founder for the Centre for Human Technology joins Damian Collins MP. Damian first met Tristan while giving him a lift to the airport in Washington D.C. when he was there for the DCMS Committee’s fact-finding trip on Disinformation back in 2018. They’ve been discussing how tech can be used for good ever since. On this episode they talk about how much power the tech companies wield in the information space during this pandemic, and what can be done about it. Dr Charles Kriel revisits the confusion over COVID-19 death stats and John Quinlan describes how fake news about the ‘plandemic’ continues to crop up.
Former OECD US Ambassador Karen Kornbluh and Mark Scott, Chief Technology Reporter at POLITICO join Damian Collins MP this week. In these times where COVID-19 misinformation is a matter of life or death, they discuss who’s responsible for stopping it and how journalists are navigating the pandemic. Dr Charles Kriel unpacks the confusion around whether children can get the coronavirus and John Quinlan gives the latest update from Infotagion.
How much COVID-19 misinformation is out there and who’s responsible for taking action against it? Would auditing how misinformation spreads prepare us for future infodemics? Damian Collins MP discusses with Guy Berger, Director of Freedom of Expression and Media Development at UNESCO, and Nina Jankowicz, academic and author of new book How To Lose the Information War. John Quinlan and Dr Charles Kriel put Alan Sugar on the fake news ‘naughty’ list.
Members of the House of Commons in Canada, Nate Erskine-Smith and Charlie Angus join Damian Collins MP this week. They discuss Canada’s strategy for managing the virus, privacy concerns around track and trace apps and whether the International Grand Committee (of which they famously first took part in November 2018) could one day virtually reconvene.
As businesses struggle, tech companies like Amazon, Facebook and Netflix are stronger than ever. Has COVID-19 accelerated digital disruption? What is the right way to regulate tech? Damian Collins MP is joined by Baroness Martha Lane Fox, board member of Twitter and founder of technology think tank Dot Everyone. John Quinlan discusses a shift in submissions to Infotagion from fake cures towards misinformation about civil liberties, and Dr Charles Kriel unpacks COVID-19 case charts.
Summary:
Are virus tracker apps the answer to managing life post-lockdown? How has Singapore used technology to stop COVID-19 misinformation and fight the virus? Damian Collins MP gets the view from the ground with Singaporean academics Dr Shashi Jayakumar and Dr Carol Soon. They are joined by Tom Pressley, Vice-President of International Marketing at Everbridge, the world’s largest critical event management company, to discuss best practice in managing communications with citizens during a pandemic. Iconic Labs’ John Quinlan and resident fake news expert Dr Charles Kriel give an update on Infotagion’s work this week.
Could Google or Facebook predict whether you have COVID-19? With society relying on social media over news media during the pandemic, are we more susceptible to misinformation? Damian Collins MP is joined this week by Shoshana Zuboff, Professor at Harvard Business School and author of Surveillance Capitalism. Alongside her is David Wooding, Political Editor of the Sun on Sunday. Iconic Labs’ John Quinlan and resident fake news expert Dr Charles Kriel join to give their analysis.
Is COVID-19 disinformation from Russia and China on the rise? This week Damian Collins MP is joined by writer Edward Lucas and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue’s CEO Sasha Havlicek to discuss. Iconic Labs’ John Quinlan and fake news expert Dr Charles Kriel analyse trends in Infotagion’s work this week.
Welcome to a new podcast from Infotagion, an independent fact-checking service to combat fake news about the Coronavirus. This is the first major public health crisis in the age of social media disinformation and Infotagion exists to try and make sense of it. Hosted by Damian Collins MP, co-founder of Infotagion and former chair of the House Of Commons select committee for Digital Culture, Media, and Sport.