The Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas (JNI) has invested in the use of disinformation detection and tracking software and techniques, the first time they will be used in an Australian federal election.
JNI’s Mosaic Project aims to provide a social media disinformation track, trace and debunking service for newsrooms around Australia. The Mosaic Project will act as a free and open-source service for editors and journalists whose time and resources are already stretched during the campaign.
The Mosaic Project will bring together a global think tank Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), which pioneered social media technology and techniques successfully deployed in US and German elections
It also brings the RMIT FactLab, a stand-alone research entity with the highest standards and protocols for transparency, accuracy and accountability, and CASM Technology.
With the use of manual and automated tools and techniques, the RMIT FactLab will monitor, track and trace the velocity and spread of disinformation campaigns targeting Australian voters on social media during the election campaign.
Mark Ryan, executive director of JNI, said: “The sheer volume of information available to voters online means journalists with limited resources and time have no hope of catching every bad actor’s Tweet, Facebook comment or Reddit post.
“The outputs of the Mosaic Project are a free tool for journalists and editors which uses leading-edge technology and disinformation tracking techniques to focus newsrooms on fast-spreading falsehoods to cut them down before they can influence the outcome of the federal election.
“It is designed to bring new skills and technology, as well as additional resources to newsrooms stretched by the demands of the election campaign.”
Devi Mallal, media and research lead at RMIT FactLab, said: “As a research centre dedicated to countering the harmful effects of disinformation online, RMIT FactLab is delighted to be participating in the Mosaic project.
“The generous support from JNI and mentoring from ISD, who are internationally recognised leaders in the field, make this project a crucial tool in our endeavour to combine best-in-class technology with journalistic rigour.
“We are very much looking forward to keeping the Australian public informed during the upcoming federal election,” Mallal added.
Jiore Craig, head of digital integrity at ISD, said: “ISD is pleased to partner with JNI to tackle online threats to the democratic process. Misinformation, hate speech, and deception online put voters’ right to engage in a free and fair election at risk.
“It is critical for democracy in 2022 that voters are able to access robust and trustworthy information when informing their choice on election day.”
The Judith Neilson Institute’s Mosaic Project is named after the first widely used graphical web browser, which has been credited for sparking the internet boom of the 1990s.