Talking together

The fight against misinformation and disinformation must be combined with rebuilding trust in public institutions, parliaments, governments, the courts, the media and the police and create a more cohesive and less polarised society.

Countering the conspiracy mongers

Trying to shut down conspiracy theories with laws and regulation isn’t working so it may be time to try something different.

Cutting through the noise

Education must play a role in helping the population of democratic nations like Australia sort through the noise on social media and find proper sources of reliable information online.

Scrolling into eco-stress

Young people are subject to a heavy dose of social media-driven eco-anxiety over the environment but there are ways we can help them beat it.

Protecting digital democracy

Attempts by the United Nations to create multilateral safeguards for the digital world shouldn’t allow brutal dictatorships such as Russia and China to circumscribe free speech to protect their own interests and agenda.

Combating fake news, or silencing expression?

Is the Federal Government’s bill to combat online misinformation really an affront to free speech and, therefore, to democracy itself? And if so, how might it be revised to protect, rather than circumscribe, online expression?

Australia’s bid to curb online disinformation

After years of laissez-faire policy making, the world’s biggest tech companies are finally becoming subject to more stringent regulation, and Australia’s attempts to encourage platforms to take more responsibility is a useful way forward.

Don’t Google it, mate

Google’s new ‘privacy sandbox’ is actually a way to subvert Apple’s ban on third party cookies and track internet users around the web to sell their interests to advertisers, fortunately Firefox is having none of it.

Trumping truth with lies

Conspiratorial content spread on social media platforms during the first Republican presidential debate garnered more than three million views according to QUT researchers who also found that X (formerly Twitter) is a haven for disinformation, especially in spreading the debunked theory that Donald Trump won the 2020 election.

People are the answer to the people problem

As social media platforms continue to shape public discourse, addressing the challenges posed by harmful content is crucial and new research on the effectiveness of moderating harmful online content offers valuable insights for policymakers.

From A to X

Elon Musk’s recent rebranding of Twitter as X is a step toward the CEO’s goal of developing an “everything app” for Americans to chat with their friends, order groceries, watch videos and manage their finances on one platform.

Fighting foreign propaganda on social media

The recent Senate committee on foreign interference through social media highlights the threats posed by Russian, Chinese and other hostile actors to Australian citizens and democracy.