DeepFake Hackathon: Digital Solutions to Counter Online Disinformation

Full title: DeepFake Hackathon: Digital Solutions to Counter Online Disinformation

Purpose

Strengthening digital resilience and young people’s capacity to identify and counter online disinformation, manipulated content and risks associated with deepfake technologies by combining media literacy, critical thinking and the development of technology solutions.

Objectives

·        strengthening participants’ understanding of disinformation, deepfake technologies, information manipulation and online fraud;

·        developing practical skills in information verification, media literacy, digital security and responsible use of technologies;

·        stimulating collaboration among young people with diverse backgrounds, including IT, education, media, communication and civil society;

·        supporting teams in identifying concrete disinformation-related problems and transforming ideas into minimum viable products (MVPs);

·        promoting the use of technology and artificial intelligence to develop solutions with social impact and strengthen community resilience to disinformation.

Key results

·        56 participants aged 16-39 actively engaged in the hackathon;

·        15 interdisciplinary teams formed;

·        15 MVPs developed to address challenges such as identifying fake news, detecting deepfakes, verifying information and countering online manipulation;

·        55 mentoring sessions provided to the teams;

·        participants strengthened their skills in critical thinking, fact-checking, digital product development, teamwork and solution presentation.