False, misleading or manipulated information facilitated by advancements in generative AI, digital technologies and data systems has rapidly increased the scale and precision of disinformation campaigns. These technologies exacerbate the challenges of discerning credible information, undermining trust in public discourse and democratic processes.
Continuing efforts to understand and address this growing challenge, particularly in the context of the Global South, Research ICT Africa (RIA) recently participated in a workshop hosted by Stellenbosch University. The event, which took place from 4 to 6 September, brought together leading organisations to collaborate on the project “Resisting Information Disorder in the Global South: Identifying drivers, developing responses, evaluating strategies.“
Led by Professor Herman Wasserman as the Principal Investigator and funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), this initiative is tackling the complex issue of information disorder from a Global South perspective. Researchers from partner organisations, including Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) based in Amman, Jordan; InternetLab Brazil, based in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and LIRNEasia, based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, came together to share insights, develop common understandings and forge strategies to counter the de-democratising forces that information disorder represents.
RIA’s involvement in the project focuses on two critical aspects.
- The identification of key political drivers and their implications for information disorder in the Global South, including its impact on elections, populism, protests, activism, gender and regulatory efforts;
- The development of effective legal, regulatory and governance responses to counter information disorder in the Global South context.
Dr Scott Timcke, RIA’s project lead, emphasised the importance of such collaborative efforts, stating, “These in-person exercises do a great deal to form common understandings and agendas to tackle these de-democratising forces, understood from the Global South, for the Global South.”
Another key RIA researcher on the project, Zara Schroeder, points out the surprising commonalities discovered across different regions. Despite the varied approaches and methodologies, the foundational challenges remain consistent, laying a solid groundwork for their collaborative efforts moving into the project’s third year.
Prof Wasserman highlights the value of face-to-face collaboration, noting the irreplaceable benefits of gathering diverse perspectives in one room. He says, “Coordinating and participating in a project such as this one, with researchers representing a broad range of geographic locations, research foci and areas of expertise, is a daunting prospect when done remotely. This is why our annual workshop is such an important event. By gathering all the teams in one room, we can more productively brainstorm ideas, provide feedback on each other’s work, and develop future work plans.”
The initiative builds upon a previous IDRC-supported scoping project, in which RIA participated, that mapped the actors, strategies, and approaches to countering information disorder across the Global South. The study revealed that organisations in these regions view information disorder as a multifaceted problem deeply embedded in various social, political and economic conditions.
As the project progresses, RIA and its partners will continue to work towards developing effective, contextualised strategies to resist information disorder, ultimately contributing to the strengthening of democratic processes and informed societies across the Global South.
