Empowering Users
Commitment 17
In light of the European Commission's initiatives in the area of media literacy, including the new Digital Education Action Plan, Relevant Signatories commit to continue and strengthen their efforts in the area of media literacy and critical thinking, also with the aim to include vulnerable groups.
We signed up to the following measures of this commitment
Measure 17.1 Measure 17.2 Measure 17.3
In line with this commitment, did you deploy new implementation measures (e.g. changes to your terms of service, new tools, new policies, etc)?
No
If yes, list these implementation measures here
Do you plan to put further implementation measures in place in the next 6 months to substantially improve the maturity of the implementation of this commitment?
No
If yes, which further implementation measures do you plan to put in place in the next 6 months?
Measure 17.1
Relevant Signatories will design and implement or continue to maintain tools to improve media literacy and critical thinking, for instance by empowering users with context on the content visible on services or with guidance on how to evaluate online content.
QRE 17.1.1
Relevant Signatories will outline the tools they develop or maintain that are relevant to this commitment and report on their deployment in each Member State.
FIDU has actively developed and maintained several resources to empower users in evaluating and engaging with online content. One such tool is the MLFD Booklet (
https://fidu.it/wp-content/uploads/MLFD-Booklet.pdf ), produced within the Media Literacy for Democracy project, under the CERV Programme. This booklet remains freely available online and serves as a resource for citizens, helping them recognize and counter disinformation. The MLFD Booklet is also designed to be used by trainees and educators during workshops and training sessions. It provides practical guidance on how to evaluate online content, understand the context of the information presented, and critically assess the sources of news and information. This is part of FIDU's ongoing commitment to supporting citizens, educators, and vulnerable groups in strengthening their media literacy and critical thinking abilities, thereby improving their resilience to the challenges posed by disinformation and foreign interference.
Measure 17.2
Relevant Signatories will develop, promote and/or support or continue to run activities to improve media literacy and critical thinking such as campaigns to raise awareness about Disinformation, as well as the TTPs that are being used by malicious actors, among the general public across the European Union, also considering the involvement of vulnerable communities.
QRE 17.2.1
Relevant Signatories will describe the activities they launch or support and the Member States they target and reach. Relevant signatories will further report on actions taken to promote the campaigns to their user base per Member States targeted.
During the reporting period, FIDU’s activities related to media literacy and the fight against disinformation have focused on 4 main areas:
- Advocacy: Among the main activities in the field:
FIDU co-hosted the MLFD Final Conference held online on March 19th, which gathered over 120 participants from 10 EU countries, to discuss disinformation during the war in Ukraine and the European elections and present the project’s final recommendations. On July 11, FIDU organized the event Media Literacy Strategies, which was hosted in the Italian Parliament and brought together MPs, CSOs, journalists, and experts to present and discuss the MLFD project findings and policy recommendations. On November 28th, FIDU co-organised the international conference Countering Disinformation as a Global Challenge, in cooperation with the European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the Embassies in Rome of the Republic of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine, which gathered representatives of institutions and experts to discuss and coordinate strategies to counter disinformation and foreign interference. Within the New Media Literacy Strategies to Counter Antisemitism project, funded by the Coalition to Counter Online Antisemitism (CCOA) through the Google.org Foundation, FIDU hosted a final conference at the Italian Senate in December 2024, presenting the final report and tailored policy recommendations for combating online antisemitism through media literacy.
- Training: Within the framework of the MLFD and the New Media Literacy Strategies to Counter Antisemitism projects, FIDU organised and implemented several national and international trainings and workshops, both in person and online, mostly targeted to students, young professionals, and media workers.
- Participation in cross-sectoral activities: FIDU participated in several events aimed to exchange best practices and insights on media literacy and the current challenges. In particular, on June 3rd FIDU participated in the closed-door workshop Disinformation Storm – Managing the Unmanageable organised by ECFR. On November 7th, FIDU participated in the Media Literacy Cluster Meeting, specifically in the panel session “Mis-/disinformation, democracy, and values, at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, which was organised by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and brought together experts from diverse sectors across Europe. On November 25th-27th FIDU participated in Warsaw in the international conference Mainstreaming Digital Human Rights: a Unified Approach to Counter Online Antisemitism Beyond 2024, organised by ISD and where FIDU presented the final results of the New Media Literacy Strategies to Counter Antisemitism project.
Measure 17.3
For both of the above Measures, and in order to build on the expertise of media literacy experts in the design, implementation, and impact measurement of tools, relevant Signatories will partner or consult with media literacy experts in the EU, including for instance the Commission's Media Literacy Expert Group, ERGA's Media Literacy Action Group, EDMO, its country-specific branches, or relevant Member State universities or organisations that have relevant expertise.
QRE 17.3.1
Relevant Signatories will describe how they involved and partnered with media literacy experts for the purposes of all Measures in this Commitment.
For the above-reported activities FIDU partnered with media literacy experts, especially from European universities, EDMO Ireland, the Italian Digital Media Observatory (IDMO), the Italian Communications Authority (Agcom), as well as several CSOs with relevant expertise in media literacy and disinformation.
Additionally, FIDU participated in meetings and events with EU institutions, notably the EEAS – East StratCom Task Force, as well as Europe Direct, EACEA, and DGs representatives.
Monitoring of the Code
Commitment 39
Signatories commit to provide to the European Commission, within 1 month after the end of the implementation period (6 months after this Code’s signature) the baseline reports as set out in the Preamble.
We signed up to the following measures of this commitment
In line with this commitment, did you deploy new implementation measures (e.g. changes to your terms of service, new tools, new policies, etc)?
No
If yes, list these implementation measures here
Do you plan to put further implementation measures in place in the next 6 months to substantially improve the maturity of the implementation of this commitment?
No
If yes, which further implementation measures do you plan to put in place in the next 6 months?
Crisis and Elections Response
Crisis 2024
[Note: Signatories are requested to provide information relevant to their particular response to the threats and challenges they observed on their service(s). They ensure that the information below provides an accurate and complete report of their relevant actions. As operational responses to crisis/election situations can vary from service to service, an absence of information should not be considered a priori a shortfall in the way a particular service has responded. Impact metrics are accurate to the best of signatories’ abilities to measure them].
Threats observed or anticipated
At the time of reporting, significant threats related to mis- and disinformation continue to be observed, particularly concerning the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict. These threats contribute to widespread information disorder, affecting both online and traditional media. The dissemination of false or misleading information through various channels, including news outlets, social media platforms, as well the use of diverse tactics, create confusion and distorts public debates. In some cases, the disinformation and harmful narratives related to the Russian war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict have been interconnected, with the narratives being manipulated across multiple conflicts. This results in a lack of timely, accurate, and comprehensive information for the general public, which often leads to reactive rather than proactive responses. Additionally, vulnerable groups, such as marginalized communities, are disproportionately impacted by disinformation and require tailored approaches to address their specific challenges.
Mitigations in place
Mitigation: FIDU’s work in the media literacy field and disinformation counteraction aims to mitigate these threats by empowering individuals across different sectors to critically assess both online and traditional media sources, ensuring that more informed, proactive responses are fostered in the face of evolving global challenges. Specifically, FIDU’s action, based on a multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach, includes:
- Analysis of the modus operandi used by foreign actors: tactics (social media, fake accounts and state-run outlets disseminated fake news), targets, and goals.
- Raising awareness on disinformation, foreign interference and information manipulation at a multi-sector level.
- Promote activities based on cross-sector cooperation.
All the activities are addressed by always keeping in mind the need to balance the right to freedom of expression, the right to be informed, and the protection of democracy and the rule of law from disruptions to the public debate.
During the reporting period, FIDU conducted various activities, including hosting conferences in collaboration with Institutions, publishing reports and policy papers, and participating in expert roundtables. These activities aimed to disseminate knowledge, facilitate discussion, and foster collaboration among stakeholders in order to improve the Member States’ response to crisis.
Empowering Users
Outline approaches pertinent to this chapter, highlighting similarities/commonalities and differences with regular enforcement.
- Organisation of trainings and expert workshops on the spread of disinformation during the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
- Organisation of the conference Countering Disinformation as a Global Challenge in collaboration with ECFR and the Embassies in Rome of the Republic of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine to exchange insights and coordinate strategies to counter disinformation and foreign interference in the context of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
