Conspiracy theories and other false claims have always been part of our discourse, even (and perhaps especially) our politics. But modern technologies seem to have changed the scale of the problem, with profound implications for our culture and for democracy. This series focuses on the role of technology in promoting mis- and disinformation, the ethical problems that creates, and the technical, legal, and institutional responses best suited to our modern challenges.

We’ll hear from some of the world’s leading experts, including academics and researchers studying these challenges and activists and practitioners facing them in the field, on questions including: To what extent are these problems new? What are the root causes and design features most responsible, and most amenable to change? What are the best solutions, taking into account the range of interests at stake?

How Social Media’s Obsession with Scale Supercharged Disinformation
Joan Donovan: Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy

What do we value? The ethics of tech accountability
Roger McNamee: Elevation Partners, author of “Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe”
Ifeoma Ozoma: Earthseed, formerly Pinterest, Facebook, and Google)

Platform Responsibility for Online Speech
Danielle Citron: University of Virginia
Yael Eisenstat: formerly Facebook, CIA

The Problem with Facebook is Facebook
Siva Vaidhyanathan: University of Virginia

Science and Technology Studies Toolkit: A Guide for Handling Mis- and Disinformation
Ryan Calo: University of Washington
Mutale Nkonde: AI for the People, Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society, ND Institute for Advanced Studies

The ethics of Verification, Identity, and Anonymity on the Internet
David Magerman: Differential VC
Jillian C. York: Electronic Frontier Foundation

Learning from Our Mistakes: What can smaller platforms learn from ethical challenges at scale?
Julie Owono: Internet Sans Frontieres, Facebook Oversight Board
Clint Smith: Discord

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