On July 16th the Cyprus University of Technology held a webinar on misinformation and how to evaluate the news we see on our social media feeds.

Dr. Michalis Sirivianos, Assistant Professor in Computer Engineering and Informatics, opened the webinar with his brief presentation which focused on what the QAnon is, a misinformation movement and a conspiracy theory, how this theory is related to the widespread of misinformation nowadays, and what can be done to combat this phenomenon through data science.

Dr. Eleni A. Kyza, Associate Professor in Information Society of the Department of Communication and Internet Studies, continued with her own presentation which explained how and why misinformation spreads online through AI algorithms or by users who intentionally or unintentionally share misinformed content, focusing on the factors which affect users’ interaction with online content.

The collective efforts and the goals of the Co-Inform project were presented focusing on the tools that can be used to examine the reliability of published information online.

Closing, Dr. Eleni A. Kyza emphasized on the importance of users having digital and critical literacy to being able to question the online information they consume, and ideally act responsibly upon misinformative content, using the necessary technological tools.

Where
The webinar took place on the ZOOM platform. The webinar was recorded and can be found here (the webinar was held in Greek).

Organizers
The webinar was organized and supported by the following organizations: Cyprus University of Technology; CUTing edge: An American space; U.S. Embassy Cyprus; Science Hoaxes; Co-Inform

Presenters

Dr. Eleni A. Kyza: Associate Professor in Information Society, Department of Communication and Internet Studies, Cyprus University of Technology

Dr. Michalis Sirivianos: Assistant Professor in Computer Engineering and Informatics, Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Informatics, Cyprus University of Technology