What we see around us and how today will affect tomorrow is all depending on our creativity. Our intelligent life is inspired from our imagination. Since the world exists the main source of ideas has derived from the fairy tales and fables that humanity learned in its infancy.
The Facebook Oversight Board’s decision to maintain the former president’s ban won’t change much (especially for the time being) On May 5, 2021, Facebook’s Oversight Board upheld Facebook’s January 2021 ban of former president Trump from Facebook and Instagram for encouraging violence following January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol siege, based on two posts Trump made…
On 18th February 2021 NUIG, Ireland, and Mediaframe, UK will be hosting an online event titled: “Social media convergence: The importance of influence on independent content creators”. Our guest will be Molly Babington, a graduate student from Escape Studios, London. Molly will be interviewed by Iliana Franklin, her lead tutor in MA Storyboarding and Previsualization…
From Fairy Tales to smart concepts: Storytelling for VR What we see around us and how today will affect tomorrow is all depending on our creativity. Our intelligent life is inspired by our imagination. Since the world exists the main source of ideas has derived from the fairy tales and fables that humanity learned in…
Immersion is often discussed during the topic of virtual reality rather like biscuits and tea, but what is immersion and why is it important?
The main problem with VR film is attention. How can we have as filmmakers control what the viewer sees so as to not miss pivotal story elements?
When we first think about scriptwriting, we tend to imagine that of a screenplay or feature film; TV, or Advertisement. We don’t often think about gaming or the virtual world. This thesis aims to explore exactly that. How does the process of scriptwriting change when applied to virtual reality? Are there similarities to current gaming…
If we think about the last decades, everything has become much more story-centric, digital media, visual media, written media, even journalism or advertising uses stories to help themselves sell better
With Virtual Reality emerging quickly as a new and popular media, storytellers have had to learn quickly on how to utilize this media to its potential to deliver a memorable and engaging experience for the audience. Looking at examples from over the years, we can learn about how this media has greater advantages than others…
While DSA is under discussion there could be legal uncertainty with respect to content The new digital regulatory package the EU announced at the end of 2020 was meant to regulate comprehensively the digital services and platforms and the relationships they establish. However, the Digital Services Act and the Digital Single Market Act have to…
Regulating human rights violations in business Over the past years, the issue of the risks business poses for human rights has gained considerable prominence. High-profile litigation in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia, and the Netherlands is an example that human rights breaches carry increasing business and legal risks which require adequate regulation. In addition,…
What could the world expect from the approaching 2021 while the COVID 19 pandemic is still at its height? Taylor Wessing, a global law firm that serves the world’s most innovative people and businesses and has a history since 1788 states its predictions for 2021. 1. World pandemic will be overcome with the help of…
Due diligence and business Business enterprises and investors have a key role to play in stopping human rights violations. International organisations and states should support their efforts towards better universal human rights implementation. The process has already started at a global and European level. In 2011, the United Nations adopted Guiding Principles on Business and…
Sustainability, pluralism, and trustworthiness of the European media system should be preserved in the light of the soon-to-be-announced digital services act (DSA) On November 18 2020 the Council of the EU approved conclusions on safeguarding a free and pluralistic media system. The document comes before the EC will announce the DSA in order to complement…
Online workshop on “European courts and digital media” The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), in collaboration with the University of Castilla-La Mancha, organized an online workshop on “European courts and digital media” under the framework of the COMPACT project. This invitation-only online workshop brought together researchers from across Europe to discuss new…
After lengthy negotiations to settle the differences between the Senate and the Congress bills, finally the US Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act was passed by unanimous consent. The IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act focuses on increasing the security of federal devices with standards provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and…
CEE digital future: a new report by CMS Recently the CMS company has published an interesting survey that spans 18 countries across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and features the region‘s digital achievements together with the risks, opportunities and expectations about the CEE’s digital future. Ranked as a Top 10 Global Law Firm, CMS is…
TikTok: the clock of the administrative measures is ticking Amidst the US-Chinese technological war, recent skirmishes around TikTok have gained particular momentum. The Chinese-owned TikTok is under pressure from President Donald Trump to sell its US operations or face a ban. While companies including Microsoft, Walmart, and Oracle were reportedly bidding to buy TikTok, the…
Influencers on social media Among all other impacts social media networks have profoundly changed the way in which marketing information is used and disseminated to promote products and services. In particular, social networks have contributed to the rise of social media influencers establishing advertising practices among significant media audience. The influencer profession becomes more and…
5G development and deployment: the latest news until November 2020 The Clean Network Strategy: Europe is split The Clean Network strategy, which was invented by Trump to fight China's technological invasion caused controversial reactions of European countries. The rationale behind the strategy is that the US considers the 5G network “unclean” because it bears too…
Cybersecurity: cases and policies Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, targeted, and often undetected. That is why cybersecurity measures are intensely discussed in connection to specific cases and policies in any part of the globe. According to the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) investigation and report, on July 15, 2020, a 17-year old…
In anticipation of the Facebook Oversight Board start The long-awaited launch of Facebook’s new ‘Oversight Board’ is expected to happen this month. The company’s attempts to self-regulate are often criticised due to the lack of transparency about policies, more particularly the lack of clear rules about the removal of some offensive posts but not of…
Virtual reality: pros and cons Virtual Reality (VR) is a very wide-spread concept and with so many new devices and cameras that are showcasing this technology, society can feel its powerful impact. There are mainly three types of VR systems: Video Mapping VR, Immersive VR, and Desktop VR. By and large Virtual Reality can be…
A new controversial Internet law in Turkey The Law on Regulation of Broadcasts via Internet and Prevention of Crimes Committed through Such Broadcasts in Turkey has been recently amended and has entered into force on 1 October 2020. Turkish authorities have justified the change in legislation by the peculiarities of social networks’ communication. Social networks…
Competition rules and DSA The digital revolution demands new mechanisms to regulate competition in the digital sector and large online platforms in particular. Competition authorities in Europe – and worldwide – share concerns that the existing competition rules are insufficient to tackle the complex legal issues stemming from the development of digital markets. The COVID-19…
Public consultation on the Guidelines on the targeting of social media users (Guidelines) The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has recently launched public consultation on the Guidelines on the targeting of social media users. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) is an independent European body competent to contribute to the consistent application of data protection…
EDiMA’s position on the EU Digital Services Act The main statement of EDiMA, a Brussels based trade association representing the world’s largest online platforms such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple as well as other innovative tech companies, is that the new EU measures regulating the web services should avoid, in the first instance, rules…
ERGA‘s position on the Digital Services Act (DSA): extending and strengthening the powers of the national regulatory authorities (NRA) In its paper ERGA, the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services, identifies what it believes to be the key policy challenges relating to online content regulation and the key principles that may underpin the…
5G networks: business, security, and geopolitics Before full implementation, 5G technology requires a thorough investigation of its various security and geopolitical aspects as those related to business and health. At a European level, research and innovation towards the development of 5G communication networks have been a subject of significant support under the Horizon 2020…
JOURNALISM AND FACT-CHECKING: typification of sources used for checking and criteria for selecting fact-checked material – an analysis by Agência Lupa and Aos Fatos
E. Psychogiopoulou and F. Casarosa, ‘Fundamental Rights in National Social Media Jurisprudence: A Study of Higher and Appellate Courts’, [2020] European Human Rights Law Review, issue 2, p. 164-175 Abstract This article examines national court decisions on social media in a selected set of EU Member States, aiming to identify and analyze their fundamental rights…
An Exploratory Study of Global and Legal Discourses on Social Media Regulation Andrej Skolkay – School of Communication and Media (Slovakia)
Open data and COVID-19 crisis Following the spread of COVID-19 in early 2020, countries across the world have adapted to a new sense of normal. To continue combating the proliferation of the pandemic, societies have been utilising data to inform policy makers and create applications and services. In conformity with these efforts, the European Data…
The European Digital Services Act package (DSA) The Digital Services Act package was announced by the European Commission as a part and oarcel of the European Digital Strategy. The aim of the measure is to strengthen the Single Market for digital services and foster innovation and competitiveness of the European online environment. The new Digital…
Smart Society – ‘Fake Analytica’ Style? Smart Cities and Regional Development Journal (v3. i1. 2019) Posted: 3 Jul 2019 Bissera Zankova Media 21 Foundation Date Written: March 10, 2019 Abstract The article will focus on the problems generated by the information disorder including the recent “Analytica” scandal and how they imperil the creation of a…
Digital Library by Dr. Bissera Zankova
Facebook’s EU-US data transfer mechanism ‘cannot be used’, Irish regulator says (Reuters) – The key mechanism used by Facebook to transfer data from the European Union to the United States “cannot in practice be used” for such transfers, according to Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, Facebook said on Wednesday. The U.S. social media giant said in…
Microsoft releases new technology to combat manipulated media Microsoft on Tuesday rolled out two new technologies aimed at identifying and combatting the influence of manipulated media. One, the Microsoft Video Authenticator, can analyze photos and videos and give a percentage chance that they have been artificially changed, the company said in a blog post. The other…
Lisbon Seminar Report
Media literacy as a psychological “vaccine” against manipulation
GLOBAL APPROACHES TO SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATION (TAXONOMY)
Kyiv Symposium – Internews Ukraine
Kyiv Simposium – “Revision of the Historic Propaganda” – Presentation
Media Convergence and Social Media – Fake news and validation of information in social networks, Kyiv, Ukraine 12 March Presentation by Dr Lukasz Porwol, Data Science Institute, Insight Centre for Data Analytics, NUIG
Kyiv Simposium – “National court rulings on social media: The free speech dimension” Presentation by Evangelia Psychogiopoulou, Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy
HYBRID THREAT DECOMPOSITION METHODOLOGY: BIG DATA ANALYSIS BY ATTACKINDEX.COM Presentation by Elena Shnurko Tabakova
E-platform for communication between Ukrainian journalists and experts Presentation by Anastasiia Shyrina
EURODIG 2019 COMPACT partners took part in the organization of the Plenary 7 Session: “Tackling Online Harms” and Workshop 10 “Blockchain and privacy” for Eurodig 2019 Link to our Wiki Discussion page on organizing Plenary 7 Link to our Wiki Discussion page on Blockchain and Privacy Workshop 10
EuroDIG 2020 Forum forum | live transcript | live stream Day 1 / 11 June 2020 (all times CEST/UTC +2) 11.00 – 11.30 Studio open, arrival of participants 11.30 – 13.00 WS 4: Innovative uses of blockchain for public empowerment 13.00 – 14.30 Lunch break – Music relaxation 14.30 – 16.00 WS 6: Social media – opportunities, rights and responsibilities…
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Smart citizens for Smart cities: the role of social media for expanding local democracy (The case of local referendums in Bulgaria) Author: Bissera Zankova, Media 21 The purpose of the study is to analyze the role of social media to boost democratic citizenship and contribute to the creation of smart environment through the perspective of…
Report on Riga Symposium The symposium was organized by the University of Latvia Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) on the 10th of December. Latvian researchers and opinion leaders, together with European partners, presented the latest findings in the disinformation and media literacy field as well as discussed the future challenges that the digital media landscape…
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Sofia Symposium – COMPACT Project (Bulgarian Translation) Presentation by Dr Bissera Zankova
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The 5th Congress of the Polish Communication Association, entitled “Media Power: People – Organisations – Technologies”, aims at discussing the notion of media power, from the internal (organizational) and external (media ecology) perspective. Reading Materials
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Materials from Regional COMPACT Symposium “Propaganda/disinformation, multi-lingual media, and social media regulation” The University of Latvia, Faculty of Social Sciences, Isaiah Berlin auditorium (Lauvas street 4, Riga, Latvia), on 10 December 2019.
Brussels COMPACT Symposium
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University of Latvia
Smart society and information disorder Smart citizens for smart cities: the role of social media for expanding local democracy (the case of local referendums in Bulgaria) Presentation by Bissera Zankova, Media 21 Full-text PDF at: http://www.scrd.eu/index.php/scrd/article/view/35
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The availability of studies which assess the implementation and performance of social media (SM) regulation within European Union countries is currently sub-optimal.
This study provides a global overview of some traditional but mostly innovative approaches that have been suggested for social media (SM) regulation as presented in global and local media discourses. The aim is first to provide an overview of the debate and the main arguments and concerns, and second to systematise this in order to…
Have you ever wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of the digital environment? To have a map of the Internet measuring its compliance with human rights, evaluating its openness and accessibility, and assessing the involvement of different actors and communities in its governance? If so, UNESCO’s Internet Universality Indicators are for you.…
A Framework for Assessing Internet Development The Internet has developed rapidly into a communications medium which continues to transform access to information, opportunities for expression, and many aspects of government and business for people around the world. It has become a global marketplace for ideas, goods and services. It has both facilitated the enjoyment of…
The Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain represent an unprecedented opportunity for the enterprise and the public sector. Every institution capable of exploiting these technologies will have a chance to radically streamline and enhance existing processes, create entirely new business models, and develop innovative products and services for a new generation of…
Disinformation and democracy: The home front in the Information War DISCUSSION PAPER Paul Butcher EUROPEAN POLITICS AND INSTITUTIONS PROGRAMME 30 JANUARY 2019 Table of contents Executive summary 3 Introduction 3 A threat to democracy? 4 The business model of falsehood 5 2.1 The new tools 5 2.2 The new demand 7 Existing measures and their…
Bissera Zankova, Media 21 UNESCO is one of the international organisations in the COVID-19 crisis that carry out continuous and in-depth research on disinformation issues. In addition to analysing the forms and impacts of false information in the time of pandemic, UNESCO clarifies the range of responses to this content in its brief titled “Disinfodemics,…
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This research and policy paper summarises the key findings and recommendations from up-to-date performance analyses of European organisations and initiatives fighting fake news. These findings and recommendations represent the direct outcome of the piloting of an entirely novel methodology for defining key indicators for performance evaluation of fact-checking organisations in a number of…
Germans place the highest value on privacy compared to the U.S. and Latin American countries. Across countries, people place the highest value on keeping financial and biometric information private —balance and fingerprint data in particular. Germany’s status as the country with highest value for privacy is driven largely by extremely strong preferences for keeping…
Research done within the framework of the COMPACT project examined national court cases on social media and convergence in a selected set of COMPACT countries. The following report discusses the jurisprudence of the higher and appeal courts under review, investigates patterns of judicial reasoning and looks at judicial interaction between courts. Our sample includes 147…
Mark Zuckerberg published an op-ed in Financial Times titled Big Tech needs more regulation, on February 17, 2017. He outlined there some ideas about the development of regulatory solutions according to Facebook. These ideas are based on the White Paper produced by Facebook and titled Charting a Way Forward..Online Content Regulation. These regulatory frameworks should…
Council of Europe and hate speech Baku 2019 – Bissera Zankova “Hate speech for the purpose of the Recommendation entails the use of one or more particular forms of expression -namely, the advocacy, promotion or incitement of the denigration, hatred or vilification of a person or group of persons, as well any harassment, insult, negative…
Educational video for Medical Realities on Basic Life Support During Covid – 19 for training medical staff. The project was created during lockdown in UK using entirely online network methodology for media production. Students from Escape studios volunteered to contribute to the production aiding NHS by working from home computers and using online tools for…
Mediaframe Studios presents: Episode 1: “Identity Theft” by Brigita Auskalnyte Content creators usually have a following – followers. It is portrayed as a crowd that follow the creator. Within the crowd there is always someone there wanting to use the artist. So they sneak up, steal either their work or even their identity and use…
Mediaframe Studios presents: Episode 2: “Wild Wild Web” by Isaac Linkens Information disorder is a term that is increasingly being used as an umbrella for the concepts of disinformation, misinformation and malinformation. It proliferated as a novel and useful term to describe the unwanted state of information pollution online, which has sparked an intensive academic…
Mediaframe studios presents: “Bittersweet” by Shazell Vassal Hall We start from the basic premise that gender equality comprises an important aspect of the general issue of equality in society perceived as social involvement, use of and benefiting from all social opportunities on an equal footing by everyone. It is a fundamental human rights’ principle and…
The Rise of Media Power
Where are the limitations of freedom of expression in the online media sphere? Where should the states, private companies or communities regulate their and each other’s conduct? What is the role of the government? Is there any connection between a platform’s business interest and a state’s regulatory duty?
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11th-12th November 2019 Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria The European House 124, „Georgi S. Rakovski“ Str. Sofia, Bulgaria
Regional Symposium on Social Media Regulation – Riga, 10 December 2019 Report on “Disinformation, Media Literacy, and Social Media Regulation” Latvian researchers and opinion leaders, together with European partners, presented the latest findings in the disinformation and media literacy field as well as discussed the future challenges that the digital media landscape presents for scientists,…
by Bissera Zankova, Media 21 Foundation The Fifth Generation (5G) technology is expected to potentially affect almost every aspect of citizens’ lives. Compounding this, the less centralised architecture of 5G networks , due to its features, requires smart computing power and the need for more antennas and increased dependency on software to protect 5G networks…
Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is the first epidemic in human history where information technology and social media are being used on a massive scale to help cope with the disease. In early February 2020, a number of social media platforms and big tech companies, including Google, Amazon, YouTube and Twitter, attended a meeting hosted by the…
Publication from NOVI SAD 10th International Conference THE BRIDGES OF MEDIA EDUCATION 2018 “Fighting fake news and hoaxes in the age of convergence: evaluation of fact-checking and debunking organizations’ performance” Bissera Zankova, Media 21 Foundation, Bulgaria Abstract With the proliferation of new information and communications technologies, the quality of the information environment is…
Smart society – “Fake Analytica“ style?
EuroDIG2020 – Trieste – Day 1
Tackling information disorder – The Good, the Bad and the Urgent A contribution by Tanja Pavleska from Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia to Better Internet for Kids Newsletter on our findings from the work in WP2 in COMPACT H2020 Published on 29/06/2020 at Betterinternetforkids On Thursday, 11 June 2020, at the European Dialogue on Internet Governance…
Challenges and dilemmas for the national regulatory authorities in the age of convergence with respect to hate speech Since the time of their inception media regulatory bodies have always faced big challenges. The latter pertain either to their status, structure, and independence or to their competences and the effectiveness of the control they exercise over…
Fighting fake news and hoaxes in the age of convergence: performance evaluation and policies against information disorder Bissera Zankova, Media 21 Foundation, Bulgaria Abstract With the proliferation of new information and communications technologies, the quality of the information environment is a question that becomes of paramount importance for every person and society. The veracity…
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This research and policy paper summarises the key findings and recommendations from up-to-date performance analyses of European organisations and initiatives fighting fake news. These findings and recommendations represent the direct outcome of the piloting of an entirely novel methodology for defining key indicators for performance evaluation of fact-checking organisations in a number of…
Our speakers addressed some important questions such as “What is 5G, where we can see it, and how it operates? What are differences between the 5G and current 4G networks and what are social, political and economic implications of the change?” and many more. Speakers: Mr. Andreas Geiss, Head of Unit for Spectrum Policy in…
Ms. Ina O’ Murchu, Technologist, Technopreneur, Ireland and Consultant at Onlim, Austria
Ms. Andreana Atanasova, Deputy minister responsible for information technology and communication of Bulgaria: 5G will help economic growth and will create jobs.
Mr. Harri Paloheimo, CEO CoReorient, former Nokia Green Research Team Leader and Principal Researcher, worked on simulations of NextG radio relay systems, NewsBeez executive team member What are the differences between the 5G and current 4G networks? What are the social, political, and economic implications of the change? What radiation means when relating to 5G…
Ms. Malika Keswani, Senior Production Manager, BBC World Services. BBC ensures that within the editorial brief none of the propaganda or conspiracy theories are infiltrated in any way or form as they are not based on facts or evidence.
Mr. Andreas Geiss, Head of Unit for Spectrum Policy in DG CONNECT, European Commission
Ms. Malika Keswani, Senior Production Manager, BBC World Services
5G telecommunication benchmark creates an unprecedented level of expectations and at the same time strong resistance in tech advancement. 5G technologies implementation faces challenges similar to issues seen in the time of the introduction of electricity when lacking understanding, no clarity, and fear of the unknown hindered major developments in some parts of the world.…
Discussion with Mr. Andreas Geiss, Head of Unit for Spectrum Policy in DG CONNECT, European Commission, moderated by Mr. Niall O’Brolchain, Researcher at DSI, Insight, National University of Ireland, Galway (former Irish MP and Mayor of Galway City)
Dr. Jack Rowley, Senior Director for Research & Sustainability and works in the Advocacy Department of the GSMA
Prof. Michel Israel, National Centre for Public Health and Analyses, Ministry of Health of Bulgaria
Mr. Peter Kimpian , Data Protection Unit, Council of Europe.
Dr. Catalin Vrabie, Professor Assistant, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania
Ms. Andreana Atanasova, Deputy minister responsible for information technology and communication of Bulgaria
Mr. Andreas Geiss, Head of Unit for Spectrum Policy in DG CONNECT, European Commission
Dr. Bissera Zankova – Media 21 Foundation
Riga Symposium: Compact Project Presentation by Oles Kulchytskyy Coordination and Support Action 3 years project Nov 2017 – Nov 2020
Habits of using Internet-based media Presentation by Velta Skolmeistare
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Information Disorder
Bissera Zankova, Media 21 Undermining the right to health could generate serious risks for society and generations ahead. Disinformation represents a hazardous tool that can seriously jeopardise this right during the raging COVID-19 pandemic. In such grave crisis, disinformation can prove more toxic and perilous than ever. These arguments motivated UNESCO to coin the term…
