Global Disinformation Index: “Based on our research, we have mapped out how there is an unchecked funding line provided to disinformation domains thanks to online ads automatically placed by ad exchanges on them.”

The world wide web turned 30 years old in 2019. Since its invention, how we live our lives online – and off – has changed in countless ways. The web has brought us closer together, expanded our knowledge, opened up our societies and broken down barriers for billions of people around the world. But being more ‘networked’ and ‘connected’ has come with its own dark sides. Disinformation is one of them. Disinformation has been used as a tool to weaponise mass influence and disseminate propaganda. It has brought extreme fallout for economies, politics and societies around the globe. No country is immune. Disinformation has become public enemy number one in many parts of the world. A wave of regulations to deal with the problem is brewing from Australia to the United States. But the issue is a deep one that regulations alone will not solve. To combat disinformation, we need to understand efforts to disinform – both upstream (where disinformation starts) and downstream (where and how it spreads). This is where the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) has set its focus. For the GDI, financial motivation is a connecting point that links together the upstream and downstream components of disinformation. To substantially reduce disinformation, we need to disrupt its funding and remove the financial incentive to disinform. This means turning our attention to the ad-tech industry. Ad-tech has inadvertently thrown a funding line to disinformation domains through online advertising. Until now, there has been no way for advertisers to know the disinformation risk of the domains carrying their ads. The GDI aims to change this state of affairs. The paper that follows explains why this shift is needed – and how the GDI can trigger it…”