Behind Closed Curtains: Disinformation on messenger services

The novel coronavirus that has been rampant since the beginning of 2020 revealed what many people, at least in Germany, were unaware of: disinformation is also present in the non-political sphere, and it is increasingly being spread via messengers such as WhatsApp and Telegram. In Germany, for example, two voice messages went viral via WhatsApp and spread disinformation about the virus.

What findings do we have so far on the spread of disinformation via messengers?

The paper explores this question, and looks not only at Germany but also at India and Brazil - two countries that have already had to struggle with the problem to a considerable extent.

What can politics, what can we do to stop the mass spread of disinformation?