As digital media continues to shape public opinion, distinguishing truth from disinformation is becoming ever more crucial—especially on platforms favored by today’s youth. This issue took center stage during a webinar titled “How to Investigate Disinformation Campaigns on Telegram,” hosted by the Digital Forensics Research and Analytics Center (DFRAC) in collaboration with the Media Innovation Centre (MIC) at Christ University, Delhi NCR, on August 23, 2024.
The event focused on equipping participants with tools to navigate disinformation on Telegram, a platform increasingly popular among young people for its privacy features and broad reach. However, this same appeal makes it a fertile ground for the spread of false narratives and propaganda. The webinar’s goal was to help participants, especially the youth, understand and counter these risks.
Keynote speaker Ms. Sayyara Mammadova, a disinformation expert from the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab, discussed how misinformation spreads on Telegram through bots, fake accounts, and timed posts. She shared practical tools for tracking and verifying false narratives, using open-source methods to empower participants to take a proactive stance against disinformation.
With students, faculty, and professionals in attendance, the webinar fostered active engagement. Participants learned to use techniques like reverse image searches and digital manipulation detection to become more critical of the content they encounter. Ms. Mammadova’s hands-on approach made the complex topic accessible, providing immediate value in addressing disinformation.
An interactive session led by Ms. Aayushi Rana, Senior Researcher at DFRAC, further delved into the ethical and technical challenges of disinformation research, sparking rich discussions.
In a world where digital content is consumed rapidly, particularly by youth, this webinar empowered attendees to be more vigilant and informed in navigating today’s media landscape. As disinformation increasingly targets the younger generation on platforms like Telegram, events like this are vital in equipping them with the skills to recognize and counter false narratives.
