2023 Podcasts

Can media regulation tackle disinformation?

Kattan, Emmanuel; Hunter-Hart, Monica Beatrice; Ali, Abdibasid

There is no denying the fact that social media and the Internet have the power to inform, educate, spread knowledge and create new pathways of activism. At the same time, the online world is full of deep, dark spaces. Fake news, misinformation, cyber-harassment and hate speech proliferate. They endanger the social fabric of our communities. They also threaten our democracies. European Union-imposed regulations have attempted, for some time, to address hate speech and protect individuals’ privacy. The latest regulation – the Digital Services Act – was adopted in the spring of 2022 and will force social media companies to moderate content on their platforms. Can online regulation be effective? Will it offer protection from disinformation or will it, as some critics argue, stifle freedom of expression?



In order to tackle these issues, Vis A Vis invited Columbia University’s Anya Schiffrin and Julia Cagé, professor at Sciences Po in Paris.