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Rising authoritarianism is harnessing online campaigns to threaten democracy globally. @NDI’s @ipolitico surveyed these challenges and potential solutions at the #FutureOfDemocracy conference. Some highlights (thread 
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COVID, the struggle around racial equality and the use of force by states has further illuminated the challenges of our present world. Social media is both isolating and atomizing us while connecting us online, amplifying conspiracy, disinformation and polarization.
First you have to understand the problem, which we have done through research and surveys in countries around the world, and particularly in Eastern Europe and Eurasia where the problem is especially evident.
In the Balkans, our surveys show the importance of engaging citizens beyond the media, in “microenvironments” of family, friends, and communities, where public opinion is often shaped, where those susceptible to media-based disinfo need to be reached. https://www.ndi.org/publications/between-east-and-west-public-opinion-media-disinformation-western-balkans
We are also working to understand and combat violence against women in politics through our @NDIWomen research developing methdologies and lexicons to track hate speech and misogyny online https://www.ndi.org/tweets-that-chill #tweetsthatchill
2. In #Georgia, @NDIEurasia research found that the gov's swift, evidence-based response to #COVID19 strengthened public trust in institutions as reliable sources of information. Findings show how good governance plays a key role in building resilience and combating disinfo.
3. New methods of online election analysis. As #Georgia prepares for the Oct 31 parliamentary elections, @NDIEurasia is working to understand the online landscape and the role of disinfo in the election and develop recommendations with dedicated analysts. https://www.ndi.org/sites/default/files/NDI%20-%20Georgia%20Election%20Watch%20Report%20-%20Final%20-%20August%2019%2C%202020%20-%20ENG_0.pdf
4. @NDI works withlocal partners to engage with tech platforms and social media companies to limit harmful content and enable new tools to monitor and identify it, as we recently encouraged in collaboration with local partners in #Georgia @ISFED @D4DCoalition @NDIEurasia.
5. Build networks and tactics enabled by better tools and methods. In #Ukraine, we have helped build networks of organizations collaborating to share information and knowledge such as @textyorgua to forge new means to combat disinfo and promote info integrity. @NDIEurasia
These responses, and others, will help shape the future of democracy online, and we are engaged in this task with our colleagues and partners all over the world, and open to build new collaboration with others in future: https://www.ndi.org/infotegrity
