RightsCon Toronto 2018

Most of the conversation regarding 'fake news' has been dominated by the latest presidential campaign in the United States and Europe. However, in Latin America misinformation is not one of the biggest challenges today, but has been for a very long time. We want to foster an open conversation and provide space for sharing anecdotal evidence, compiled across the region, related to the use of different technologies, or organised strategies, to introduce noise into the information channels available to the public. In recent times, there is evidence of the use of bots, centres of paid troll armies, volunteer work of online disinformation, and tools for targeted marketing (including the hire of specialised agencies), all used to mobilise for or against political ideas and candidates. With an ongoing election cycle coming in Latin America we perceive the urgent need to gather more data about the phenomenon, and at the same time discuss with civil society organisations the most effective strategy to drive public attention on these manipulations, fostering critical thinking. It is also relevant to discuss and design strategies to educate and get the involvement of local authorities around the acquisition and use of these technologies, and see how they should be assessed within the local electoral laws.