Misinformation is created to appeal to our feelings and emotions. It manipulates us into viewing content that is false or misleading. This is not only dangerous for the health of our internet—it's also having real effects on our democracies offline.
Digital media platforms like Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter recognise that dangerous misinformation is spreading on their platforms and have promised European lawmakers that they would take specific steps to address it, but so far we’ve seen little action to support these promises. With important elections happening throughout Europe and the world over the course of this year, they must act now to protect online communities from the harmful effects of misinformation.