February 2021 – January 2024
Disinformation and hateful rhetoric, often called information warfare, are common tools to fuel ethnic and religious tensions and incite violence – including against humanitarian organisations. In 2018, aid workers combatting Ebola (including those at the Red Cross) found themselves to be victims of disinformation campaigns, which led to violence. This project aims to develop technical methods to combat misinformation directed against humanitarian organisations on social media. It aims to uncover how weaponised information impacts humanitarian organisations and to determine what can be learned about the methods employed to carry out these attacks. The overarching goal of this project is help prevent future attacks and preserve humanitarians’ security in the field.
EPFL PI: Prof. Karl Aberer, Laboratoire de systèmes d’information répartis
Partner: Vincent Graf Narbel, ICRC
Photo: ICRC
