‘In Dialogue’ Episode 14: Health Disinformation — Consequences & Solutions
In episode 14 of “In Dialogue,” CPSO Council President Dr. Rob Gratton speaks to Mr. Imran Ahmed, founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, about how health disinformation spreads, attempts to displace scientific authorities in public discourse, the negative impacts of disinformation on society, and how to best address it.
Mr. Ahmed is an authority on social and psychological malignancies on social media, such as identity-based hate, extremism, disinformation, and conspiracy theories. He regularly appears in the media and documentaries as an expert in how bad actors use digital spaces to harm others and benefit themselves, as well as how and why bad platforms allow them to do so. He holds an MA in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge. Listen to Mr. Ahmed describe the tragedy that inspired him to start the Center in his introduction to CPSO Council.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate opposes hate and disinformation by disrupting the online architecture enabling its rapid, worldwide growth. Its work encompasses research, campaigns and policy to increase the economic, reputational and political costs of all parts of the infrastructure — the actors, systems and culture — that support and often profit from this negativity. The Center works with academics and practitioners in diverse fields to develop strategies that strengthen tolerance and democracy, and counterstrategies to new forms of hate and disinformation.
CPSO has made addressing health misinformation a priority, and is committed to sharing the information and solutions we learn along the way.
Related eDialogue Articles
Other Resources
- Center for Countering Digital Hate
- Bill C-292: An Act respecting transparency for online algorithms
- Fault Lines: The Expert Panel on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Science and Health Misinformation (Report from the Council of Canadian Academies)