Research Challenges of Digital Misinformation: Toward a Trustworthy Web

Abstract

The deluge of online and offline misinformation is overloading the exchange of ideas upon which democracies depend. Fake news, conspiracy theories, and deceptive social bots proliferate, facilitating the manipulation of public opinion. Countering misinformation while protecting freedom of speech will require collaboration across industry, journalism, and academia. The Workshop on Digital Misinformation — held in May 2017 in conjunction with the International Conference on Web and Social Media in Montréal, Québec, Canada — was intended to foster these efforts. The meeting brought together more than 100 stakeholders from academia, media, and tech companies to discuss the research challenges implicit in building a trustworthy Web. Below we outline the main findings from the discussion.