Rule of Law Symposium: misinformation - what can the United States, and others, do to counter misinformation and its potentially destructive consequences?

This session is part of the IBA Foundation's Rule of Law Town Hall series.

Our distinguished guests will discuss the phenomena of misinformation, disinformation, and their widespread acceptance; the risks that they can pose to democratic societies and the rule of law; and how inaccurate information can most effectively be countered and its destructive potential avoided.

While propaganda is not new, our generation has seen what can happen to the rule of law when misinformation and disinformation are combined with the power of social media. We have seen a grand false narrative in Russia, the hacking and weaponization of information for political purposes, and the widespread dissemination of false information in the United States that has further polarized that country. Not only can disinformation threaten the rule of law, but, as the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has shown us, it can threaten and de-stabilize democratic societies.