The Double-Edged Sword: how to win the war on fake news

Fake news impacts the life of every person, with profound implications for trust in government and real-world impacts, such as the 2024 summer riots across the UK. With over 90% of the UK population having encountered fake news on the web, and most US citizens reporting seeing false or misleading information online at least weekly, the issue is top of the agenda for leaders around the globe.

New technologies from home and abroad have the power to transform the debate by both enabling and stopping the spread.

In this talk, ForgeFront’s Managing Director and former UK civil servant Sam Douglas-Bate puts this so-called ‘double-edged sword’ under the microscope, looking at what powerful new technologies mean for the spread of misinformation and disinformation. The talk will draw upon a recent report Sam wrote for The New Lines Institute, a think-tank based in Washington DC. He has discussed his research most recently on C-Span and in the podcast Disinformation Wars.

Sam Douglas-Bate, Founder, ForgeFront