Freedom of the press

Humanitarian, peace, and media sectors join forces to tackle harmful information

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, a powerful session brought together humanitarian, peacebuilding, and media development actors to confront the growing threat of disinformation, more broadly reframed as ‘harmful information.’ Panellists emphasised that false or misleading content, whether deliberately spread or unintentionally harmful, can have dire consequences for already vulnerable populations, fueling violence, eroding trust, and distorting social narratives.

The session moderator, Caroline Vuillemin of Fondation Hirondelle, underscored the urgency of uniting these sectors to protect those most at risk.

Hans-Peter Wyss of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation presented the ‘triple nexus’ approach, advocating for coordinated interventions across humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts. He stressed the vital role of trust, institutional flexibility, and the full inclusion of independent media as strategic actors.

Philippe Stoll of the ICRC detailed an initiative that focuses on the tangible harms of information—physical, economic, psychological, and societal—rather than debating truth. That initiative, grounded in a ‘detect, assess, respond’ framework, works from local volunteer training up to global advocacy and research on emerging challenges like deepfakes.

Donatella Rostagno of Interpeace shared field experiences from the Great Lakes region, where youth-led efforts to counter misinformation have created new channels for dialogue in highly polarised societies. She highlighted the importance of inclusive platforms where communities can express their own visions of peace and hear others’.

Meanwhile, Tammam Aloudat of The New Humanitarian critiqued the often selective framing of disinformation, urging support for local journalism and transparency about political biases, including the harm caused by omission and silence.

The session concluded with calls for sustainable funding and multi-level coordination, recognising that responses must be tailored locally while engaging globally. Despite differing views, all panellists agreed on the need to shift from a narrow focus on disinformation to a broader and more nuanced understanding of information harm, grounded in cooperation, local agency, and collective responsibility.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

UNESCO pushes for digital trust at WSIS+20

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, UNESCO convened a timely session exploring how to strengthen global information ecosystems through responsible platform governance and smart technology use. The discussion, titled ‘Towards a Resilient Information Ecosystem’, brought together international regulators, academics, civil society leaders, and tech industry representatives to assess digital media’s role in shaping public discourse, especially in times of crisis.

UNESCO’s Assistant Director General Tawfik Jelassi emphasised the organisation’s longstanding mission to build peace through knowledge sharing, warning that digital platforms now risk becoming breeding grounds for misinformation, hate speech, and division. To counter this, he highlighted UNESCO’s ‘Internet for Trust’ initiative, which produced governance guidelines informed by over 10,000 global contributions.

Speakers called for a shift from viewing misinformation as an isolated problem to understanding the broader digital communication ecosystem, especially during crises such as wars or natural disasters. Professor Ingrid Volkmer stressed that global monopolies like Starlink, Amazon Web Services, and OpenAI dominate critical communication infrastructure, often without sufficient oversight.

She urged a paradigm shift that treats crisis communication as an interconnected system requiring tailored regulation and risk assessments. France’s digital regulator Frédéric Bokobza outlined the European Digital Services Act’s role in enhancing transparency and accountability, noting the importance of establishing direct cooperation with platforms, particularly during elections.

The panel also spotlighted ways to empower users. Google’s Nadja Blagojevic showcased initiatives like SynthID watermarking for AI-generated content and media literacy programs such as ‘Be Internet Awesome,’ which aim to build digital critical thinking skills across age groups.

Meanwhile, Maria Paz Canales from Global Partners Digital offered a civil society perspective, sharing how AI tools protect protestors’ identities, preserve historical memory, and amplify marginalised voices, even amid funding challenges. She also called for regulatory models distinguishing between traditional commercial media and true public interest journalism, particularly in underrepresented regions like Latin America.

The session concluded with a strong call for international collaboration among regulators and platforms, affirming that information should be treated as a public good. Participants underscored the need for inclusive, multistakeholder governance and sustainable support for independent media to protect democratic values in an increasingly digital world.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

Rights before risks: Rethinking quantum innovation at WSIS+20

At the WSIS+20 High-Level Event in Geneva, a powerful call was made to ensure the development of quantum technologies remains rooted in human rights and inclusive governance. A UNESCO-led session titled ‘Human Rights-Centred Global Governance of Quantum Technologies’ presented key findings from a new issue brief co-authored with Sciences Po and the European University Institute.

It outlined major risks—such as quantum’s dual-use nature threatening encryption, a widening technological divide, and severe gender imbalances in the field—and urged immediate global action to build safeguards before quantum capabilities mature.

UNESCO’s Guilherme Canela emphasised that innovation and human rights are not mutually exclusive but fundamentally interlinked, warning against a ‘false dichotomy’ between the two. Lead author Shamira Ahmed highlighted the need for proactive frameworks to ensure quantum benefits are equitably distributed and not used to deepen global inequalities or erode rights.

With 79% of quantum firms lacking female leadership and a mere 1 in 54 job applicants being women, the gender gap was called ‘staggering.’ Ahmed proposed infrastructure investment, policy reforms, capacity development, and leveraging the UN’s International Year of Quantum to accelerate global discussions.

Panellists echoed the urgency. Constance Bommelaer de Leusse from Sciences Po advocated for embedding multistakeholder participation into governance processes and warned of a looming ‘quantum arms race.’ Professor Pieter Vermaas of Delft University urged moving from talk to international collaboration, suggesting the creation of global quantum research centres.

Journalist Elodie Vialle raised alarms about quantum’s potential to supercharge surveillance, endangering press freedom and digital privacy, and underscored the need to close the cultural gap between technologists and civil society.

Overall, the session championed a future where quantum technology is developed transparently, governed globally, and serves as a digital public good, bridging divides rather than deepening them. Speakers agreed that the time to act is now, before today’s opportunities become tomorrow’s crises.

Track all key events from the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 on our dedicated page.

Fake video claims Nigeria is sending troops to Israel

A video circulating on TikTok falsely claims that Nigeria has announced the deployment of troops to Israel. Since 17 June, the video has been shared more than 6,100 times and presents a fabricated news segment constructed from artificial intelligence-generated visuals and outdated footage.

No official Nigerian authority has made any such announcement regarding military involvement in the ongoing Middle East crisis.

The video, attributed to a fictitious media outlet called ‘TBC News’, combines visuals of soldiers and aircraft with simulated newsroom graphics. However, no broadcaster by that name exists, and the logo and branding do not correspond to any known or legitimate media source.

Upon closer inspection, several anomalies suggest the use of generative AI. The news presenter’s appearance subtly shifts throughout the segment — with clothing changes, facial inconsistencies, and robotic voiceovers indicating non-authentic production.

Similarly, the footage of military activity lacks credible visual markers. For example, a purported official briefing displays a coat of arms inconsistent with Nigeria’s national emblems, and no standard flags or insignia are typically present at such events.

While two brief aircraft clips appear authentic — originally filmed during a May airshow in Lagos — the remainder seems digitally altered or artificially generated.

In reality, Nigerian officials have issued intense public criticism of Israel’s recent military actions in Iran and have not indicated any intent to provide military support to Israel.

The video in question, therefore, significantly distorts Nigeria’s diplomatic position and risks exacerbating tensions during an already sensitive period in international affairs.

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Big Tech’s grip on information sparks urgent debate at IGF 2025 in Norway

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, global leaders, tech executives, civil society figures, and academics converged for a high-level session to confront one of the digital age’s most pressing dilemmas: how to protect democratic discourse and human rights amid big tech’s tightening control over the global information space. The session, titled ‘Losing the Information Space?’, tackled the rising threat of disinformation, algorithmic opacity, and the erosion of public trust, all amplified by powerful AI technologies.

Norwegian Minister Lubna Jaffery sounded the alarm, referencing the annulled Romanian presidential election as a stark reminder of how influence operations and AI-driven disinformation campaigns can destabilise democracies. She warned that while platforms have democratised access to expression, they’ve also created fragmented echo chambers and supercharged the spread of propaganda.

Estonia’s Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Ly Pakosta echoed the concern, describing how her country faces persistent information warfare—often backed by state actors—and announced Estonia’s rollout of AI-based education to equip youth with digital resilience. The debate revealed deep divides over how to achieve transparency and accountability in tech.

TikTok’s Lisa Hayes defended the company’s moderation efforts and partnerships with fact-checkers, advocating for what she called ‘meaningful transparency’ through accessible tools and reporting. But others, like Reporters Without Borders’ Thibaut Bruttin, demanded structural reform.

He argued platforms should be treated as public utilities, legally obliged to give visibility to trustworthy journalism, and rejected the idea that digital space should remain under the control of private interests. Despite conflicting views on the role of regulation versus collaboration, panellists agreed that the threat of disinformation is real and growing—and no single entity can tackle it alone.

The session closed with calls for stronger international legal frameworks, cross-sector cooperation, and bold action to defend truth, freedom of expression, and democratic integrity in an era where technology’s influence is pervasive and, if unchecked, potentially perilous.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Rethinking AI in journalism with global cooperation

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, a vibrant multistakeholder session spotlighted the ethical dilemmas of AI in journalism and digital content. The event was hosted by R&W Media and introduced the Haarlem Declaration, a global initiative to promote responsible AI practices in digital media.

Central to the discussion was unveiling an ‘ethical AI checklist,’ designed to help organisations uphold human rights, transparency, and environmental responsibility while navigating AI’s expanding role in content creation. Speakers emphasised a people-centred approach to AI, advocating for tools that support rather than replace human decision-making.

Ernst Noorman, the Dutch Ambassador for Cyber Affairs, called for AI policies rooted in international human rights law, highlighting Europe’s Digital Services and AI Acts as potential models. Meanwhile, grassroots organisations from the Global South shared real-world challenges, including algorithmic bias, language exclusions, and environmental impacts.

Taysir Mathlouthi of Hamleh detailed efforts to build localised AI models in Arabic and Hebrew, while Nepal’s Yuva organisation, represented by Sanskriti Panday, explained how small NGOs balance ethical use of generative tools like ChatGPT with limited resources. The Global Forum for Media Development’s Laura Becana Ball introduced the Journalism Cloud Alliance, a collective aimed at making AI tools more accessible and affordable for newsrooms.

Despite enthusiasm, participants acknowledged hurdles such as checklist fatigue, lack of capacity, and the need for AI literacy training. Still, there was a shared sense of urgency and optimism, with the consensus that ethical frameworks must be embedded from the outset of AI development and not bolted on as an afterthought.

In closing, organisers invited civil society and media groups to endorse the Harlem Declaration and co-create practical tools for ethical AI governance. While challenges remain, the forum set a clear agenda: ethical AI in media must be inclusive, accountable, and co-designed by those most affected by its implementation.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Parliamentarians at IGF 2025 call for action on information integrity

At the Internet Governance Forum 2025 in Lillestrøm, Norway, global lawmakers and experts gathered to confront one of the most pressing challenges of our digital era: the societal impact of misinformation and disinformation, especially amid the rapid advance of AI. Framed by the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity, the session spotlighted the urgent need for resilient, democratic responses to online erosion of public trust.

AI’s disruptive power took centre stage, with speakers citing alarming trends—deepfakes manipulated global election narratives in over a third of national polls in 2024 alone. Experts like Lindsay Gorman from the German Marshall Fund warned of a polluted digital ecosystem where fabricated video and audio now threaten core democratic processes.

UNESCO’s Marjorie Buchser expanded the concern, noting that generative AI enables manipulation and redefines how people access information, often diverting users from traditional journalism toward context-stripped AI outputs. However, regulation alone was not touted as a panacea.

Instead, panellists promoted ‘democracy-affirming technologies’ that embed transparency, accountability, and human rights at their foundation. The conversation urged greater investment in open, diverse digital ecosystems, particularly those supporting low-resource languages and underrepresented cultures. At the same time, multiple voices called for more equitable research, warning that Western-centric data and governance models skew current efforts.

In the end, a recurring theme echoed across the room: tackling information manipulation is a collective endeavour that demands multistakeholder cooperation. From enforcing technical standards to amplifying independent journalism and bolstering AI literacy, participants called for governments, civil society, and the tech industry to build unified, future-proof solutions that protect democratic integrity while preserving the fundamental right to free expression.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Social media overtakes TV as main news source in the US

Social media and video platforms have officially overtaken traditional television and news websites as the primary way Americans consume news, according to new research from the Reuters Institute. Over half of respondents (54%) now turn to platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) for their news, surpassing TV (50%) and dedicated news websites or apps (48%).

The study highlights the growing dominance of personality-driven news, particularly through social video, with figures like podcaster Joe Rogan reaching nearly a quarter of the population weekly. That shift poses serious challenges for traditional media outlets as more users gravitate toward influencers and creators who present news in a casual or partisan style.

There is concern, however, about the accuracy of this new media landscape. Nearly half of global respondents identify online influencers as major sources of false or misleading information, on par with politicians.

At the same time, populist leaders are increasingly using sympathetic online hosts to bypass tough questions from mainstream journalists, often spreading unchecked narratives. The report also notes a rise in AI tools for news consumption, especially among Gen Z, though public trust in AI’s ability to deliver reliable news remains low.

Despite the rise of alternative platforms like Threads and Mastodon, they’ve struggled to gain traction. Even as user habits change, one constant remains: people still value reliable news sources, even if they turn to them less often.

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Graphite spyware used against European reporters, experts warn

A new surveillance scandal has emerged in Europe as forensic evidence confirms that an Israeli spyware firm Paragon used its Graphite tool to target journalists through zero-click attacks on iOS devices. The attacks, requiring no user interaction, exposed sensitive communications and location data.

Citizen Lab and reports from Schneier on Security identified the spyware on multiple journalists’ devices on April 29, 2025. The findings mark the first confirmed use of Paragon’s spyware against members of the press, raising alarms over digital privacy and press freedom.

Backed by US investors, Paragon has operated outside of Israel under claims of aiding national security. But its spyware is now at the center of a widening controversy, particularly in Italy, where the government recently ended its contract with the company after two journalists were targeted.

Experts warn that such attacks undermine the confidentiality crucial to journalism and could erode democratic safeguards. Even Apple’s secure devices proved vulnerable, according to Bleeping Computer, highlighting the advanced nature of Graphite.

The incident has sparked calls for tighter international regulation of spyware firms. Without oversight, critics argue, tools meant for fighting crime risk being used to silence dissent and target civil society.

The Paragon case underscores the urgent need for transparency, accountability, and stronger protections in an age of powerful, invisible surveillance tools.

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Rights groups condemn Jordan’s media crackdown

At least 12 independent news websites in Jordan have been blocked by the authorities without any formal legal justification or opportunity for appeal. Rights groups have condemned the move as a serious violation of constitutional and international protections for freedom of expression.

The Jordanian Media Commission issued the directive on 14 May 2025, citing vague claims such as ‘spreading media poison’ and ‘targeting national symbols’, without providing evidence or naming the sites publicly.

The timing of the ban suggests it was a retaliatory act against investigative reports alleging profiteering by state institutions in humanitarian aid efforts to Gaza. Affected outlets were subjected to intimidation, and the blocks were imposed without judicial oversight or a transparent legal process.

Observers warn this sets a dangerous precedent, reflecting a broader pattern of repression under Jordan’s Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023, which grants sweeping powers to restrict online speech.

Civil society organisations call for the immediate reversal of the ban, transparency over its legal basis, and access to judicial remedies for affected platforms.

They urge a comprehensive review of the cybercrime law to align it with international human rights standards. Press freedom, they argue, is a pillar of democratic society and must not be sacrificed under the guise of combating disinformation.

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