Fake news, fraudulent reports or so-called hoaxes are displayed to internet users almost every day. They are becoming more and more dangerous for people, especially with the expansion of social networks.
Disinformation does not only affect users’ opinions, but also, for example, their finances, health or (in the worst case) life itself – surely you can imagine the impact of a fictive report as follows: “Your bank is on the edge of bankruptcy…“
Experts agree on one thing – it is necessary to make measures more intense or to create new ones, in order to protect the democratic information space.
The need to protect the virtual world is also fully recognized by the European Commission, which yesterday published the guidance on how the Code of Conduct on Disinformation should be strengthened – the first of its kind in the world. More information can be found on the official website of the European Commission.
We also got involved in the fight against hoaxes. In the current call of the SK-NIC Fund, we have included a topic aimed at combating fake news and conspiracies on the Internet.
We anxiously expect if we will find partners in Slovakia to clean up the virtual space from confusing news or half-truths, and especially how the solution of this problem will be approached. We will support the beast ideas with up to 10,000 EUR.
The rules of the current call (Slovak only) are available on our website – it is so simple to submit your project! You can help to protect the virtual space and also lives of many people (note: only Slovak subjects can apply).
