The Centre for Disinformation Studies (CDS) is a nonpartisan research and public outreach wing of the NATO Association of Canada, created in April 2019. The goal of the CDS is to facilitate engagement between academics, government, and the public on the topic of disinformation or ‘fake news’. Although disinformation has long been an aspect of human communication, new technologies and a changing international landscape have pushed the idea of disinformation into public awareness in unprecedented ways. The spread of disinformation in recent years has been facilitated by the proliferation of online social networks and digital information-sharing platforms. These new technologies have eroded public trust in conventional sources of information and have helped spread skepticism towards science, academia, and democratic institutions.
The Centre for Disinformation Studies has two main objectives. The first is to provide an interdisciplinary platform for scholars from across the country and beyond to share and discuss research relating to the study of disinformation. The second objective of the CDS is to help disseminate academic research on disinformation to the public in an accessible and engaging manner. By directly engaging the public and helping to bridge the gap between academic research and societal perceptions, the CDS aims to improve the public’s ability to engage critically with information spread through new digital technologies. The CDS also works to strengthen Canadians’ cultural resiliency towards misleading information or conspiracy theories by providing resources to help the public navigate an increasingly confusing information landscape.
Ryan Atkinson, Research Analyst at the NATO Association of Canada, recently sat down with Brigadier-General Jay Janzen to discuss the global threat of disinformation. The evermore pertinent problem of disinformation necessitates global action to prevent the further manipulation of information to polarize political discourse as has been witnessed in recent years. The Canadian Federal Election this October 2019 requires civil society and the public and private sectors to be prepared to face and prevent the influence of disinformation on the democratic electoral process.
Tiffany Kwok explores the fresh topic of MADCOMs in the field of artificial intelligence, and ties in possible consequences for democracy.
With the upcoming 2019 federal election quickly approaching, Tiffany Kwok speaks with Director at NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence Mr. Jānis Sārts, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto Dr. Joseph McQuade, and Research Director at the Samara Centre for Democracy Dr. Michael Morden on all issues regarding disinformation.
Tiffany Kwok takes a look at the Canadian government’s measures to prepare against disinformation attacks for the upcoming federal election in October.
“It is no secret that Russia has been engaging in efforts to influence elections across the Western world in recent years. In this article, Brett Carson and Eric Couves analyze the data to determine whether fears of Russian interference are justified.”
The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) recently released a report predicting election interference in Canada on a greater scale than our nation has ever seen. Dr. Joseph McQuade, Program Editor for the Centre for Disinformation Studies, and Benjamin Patterson, Program Editor for Cyber Security and Information Warfare, explain the domestic and global context for this recent warning.
In this special report, Ryan Atkinson outlines the problem disinformation poses to NATO, including an overview of the major steps member states are taking to counter the evolving threat.
Ryan Atkinson discusses the dangerous implications of future political influence operations, arguing that research must work to understand how current operations will incorporate advancing technologies.
In this article, Ryan Atkinson discusses the danger of electoral interference exemplified by Presidential Elections in Ukraine and the United States.
