• Priority Area Multidisciplinary Investigations on Disinformation in Europe
• Year 2023, 2024
• Country Finland
• Project Status Ongoing

Disinformation on digital platforms is a rising global issue. Finland, due to its recent NATO membership, closeness to Russia, and upcoming elections, is particularly susceptible to the phenomenon. To address this, software firm CheckFirst and fact checking and digital literacy NGO Faktabaari have partnered to develop a cutting-edge project designed to measure and analyse the spread of disinformation across digital platforms through algorithmic recommendations ahead of the Finnish presidential and European elections of 2024.

Building on top of the CrossOver pilot project realised in Belgium, CheckFirst will establish a network of monitoring devices installed in the homes of volunteers. This network will allow for the real-time measurement of algorithmic content recommendations on various platforms, generating valuable data on how disinformation reaches and influences Finnish audiences. Data will also be collected through the platforms’ official APIs. As experts in data processing, CheckFirst will then analyse and interpret the collected data to identify patterns and trends. Collected data will be publicly available on online dashboards.

Faktabaari will delve into narratives uncovered by this data, using their expertise in fact-checking and media literacy to create focus reports about their observations and data analysis led during both electoral campaigns. The reports will aim at exposing the origins of identified narratives. Investigation findings will be shared to the public, policymakers, journalists, NGOs, and scholars. Webinars, events, and articles will further disseminate the findings, leveraging the reach of existing CrossOver and partner channels.

The unique collaboration between CheckFirst and Faktabaari capitalises on their respective expertise in software engineering, data analysis, fact-checking, and media literacy to create a robust and reliable framework for evaluating the impact of disinformation on Finnish society.