Module 1 – The new information paradigm and elections 

Elections constitute a pivotal moment in democracies and provide citizens with an opportunity to choose their political representatives who will make critical decisions on the present and future of a given country.  While the digital era has initially brought great opportunities for voters and candidates, social media poses new challenges for freedom of expression, safety of citizens, candidates and journalists as well as for the access to information. This module will provide you with a thorough overview of the new information paradigm and its impact on democratic elections when information sharing throughout the electoral cycle move online.

Module 2 – Disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech

In this module you will learn the differences between disinformation, misinformation and malinformation and why we no longer use the term “fake news.” We will also analyze the human drivers behind misleading content and how hate speech impacts the electoral and governance processes. We will discuss electoral-related violence, in particular against women and journalists.

Module 3 – The impact of online harmful practices on the electoral cycle & an overview of responses and tools to tackle them

In this module we will review the diverse strategies and techniques used to spread dis-, mis- and malinformation. We will talk about the main targets of disinformation within the electoral cycle, and about the different responses to tackle disinformation – based on good practices and lessons learned on various continent, and in using tools such as artificial intelligence.

Module 4 – Focus on preventive measures to tackle harmful practices 

In this module we will start examining some of the preventive measures available to electoral stakeholders to tackle disinformation, misinformation and malinformation during electoral processes in relation to the electoral cycle: such as capacity building; promotion of dialogue and social cohesion; public information campaigns; and media information literacy. It will also cover emerging regulatory attempts to prevent harmful content from spreading online during elections.

Module 5 – Multi-stakeholder engagement and corrective measures to contribute to a transparent and inclusive online ecosystem 

In this module we will continue addressing the different ways to tackle harmful practices during elections through a multi-stakeholder engagement for the identification, fact-checking and monitoring measures; corrective measures; or containing corrective measures and regulatory and non-regulatory measures. Such measures help contribute to a transparent and inclusive online ecosystem.