Gov. announced 11 projects, with $2.4M funding, to combat disinformation

The ministers of Canadian Heritage and Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, announced more than $2.4 million in funding for projects to help Canadians “determine for themselves what is fact and what is fiction online.” “In Canada and around the world, democracies are contending with malicious actors seeking to weaken our institutions and undermine citizens’ trust in their government. Working with civil society, this program will give Canadians the tools they need to identify disinformation and strengthen our democracy,” Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities Dominic LeBlanc stated in a Thursday news release. According to the release, most of the projects will focus on fighting Russian disinformation in regard to its invasion of Ukraine. “The best defence against Russian disinformation is Canadian citizens armed with facts. These projects will give Canadians skills and tools to tell fact from fiction online. We live and work better as a society when we have a common set of facts,” Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez stated in the release. The projects are the result of a call for proposals launched in March 2022 for citizen-focused activities to combat disinformation by promoting civic, news, and digital media literacy. The projects are funded under Canadian Heritage’s Digital Citizen Initiative (DCI). “Projects will create educational workshops, podcast documentaries, and learning materials for new educational resources, focused on countering Russian disinformation,” according to the release. One example of one of the 11 projects chosen for funding is Project IDEa, by the Conflict and Resilience Research Institute, which will analyze trends and propaganda through artificial intelligence-driven tools; demystifying propaganda with experts in podcasts; and arrange workshops for young Ukrainian diaspora. Another project, Breaking Bread and Bias Pilot Project lead by Apathy is Boring, will create workshops and shareable content to help educate young Canadians on how to promote respectful, and inclusive engagement online along with critical thinking; and to provide youth with de-escalation and deradicalization strategies. The government is also issuing an annual call for proposals for the Digital Citizen Contribution Program, with an Aug. 18, 2022 deadline. Any funds received for the fiscal year must be spent by March 31, 2023. “Applicants are encouraged to submit research proposals that focus on countering online disinformation and other online harms and threats,” the release states. “Investing in these projects will help Canadians critically assess what they see online; understand misinformation and disinformation; understand how algorithms impact a user’s online experience; recognize how and when bad actors exploit online platforms; acquire skills to avoid being manipulated online; and effectively engage in public debate and online discussions.”

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Gov. announced 11 projects, with $2.4M funding, to combat disinformation

Brief | July 21, 2022

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