On June 23, 2025, the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET) co-hosted the “Defending Democracy: Collaborative Approaches to Combating Disinformation” forum in Berlin with the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation for Freedom (FNF). The event was held in collaboration with the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the DISARM Foundation to explore how democracies can build greater resilience and work with communities to counter cross-border information threats amid the rise of generative AI and the ongoing evolution of information manipulation tactics.
The forum discussions were based on DSET’s policy report, Resilience in Truth: Public-Private Collaboration in Taiwan’s Response to Disinformation. The report analyzes how Taiwan’s civic community has advanced media literacy, fact-checking, and research on information manipulation. It also calls for the establishment of cross-sector collaboration and technical frameworks to tackle AI-driven information manipulation and misinformation threats during democratic elections.
At the forum, Kai-Shen Huang, Director of DSET’s Democratic Governance Program, delivered a keynote speech highlighting that complex misinformation and disinformation have become major challenges for democracies worldwide, and that Taiwan stands on the front line in combating malicious information operations. Despite persistent challenges, such as insufficient institutional support and systemic infrastructure, Taiwan’s civic-centered defense experience offers valuable lessons to the world. Huang stressed that only through collaborative efforts among governments, civil society, digital platforms, and the international community can democracies effectively counter the escalating trends of information manipulation.
Huang further shared recent trends in information manipulation. First, he noted the impact of foreign social media platforms on Taiwan’s information environment. These platforms have deeply penetrated Taiwan’s younger population, posing a severe test for Taiwan’s information resilience. Algorithms not only recommend content but also amplify specific narratives, shaping audiences’ ideological views. Although the government banned such foreign social platforms on official devices as early as 2019, the general public remains unrestricted in using them, making Taiwan a high-risk area for foreign information operations.
To illustrate how online disinformation can translate into offline conflict, Huang cited the Southport riots in the UK and pointed out that Taiwan has seen similar signs. For example, a migrant worker incident at the end of 2023, driven by online misinformation, escalated into public protests.
Huang emphasized the crucial role of Taiwan’s civil society under these circumstances. Civic groups in Taiwan focus on three main areas: organizations such as Fake News Cleaner and the Open Culture Foundation (放伴協會) work on strengthening media literacy; the Taiwan FactCheck Center, Cofacts, and MyGoPen specialize in real-time fact-checking; and organizations like the Taiwan Democracy Lab, IORG, Doublethink Lab, and the Taiwan AI Labs focus on researching and analyzing information manipulation cases. However, with the surge of AI-generated content, these civic groups clearly face challenges in resource integration and have room to strengthen their collaboration.
In response, Chris Beall, Chief Relationship Officer of the DISARM Foundation, noted that while many governments and organizations worldwide have already adopted the DISARM framework to address misinformation, practical challenges remain, such as unclear division of responsibilities and insufficient coordination mechanisms. He praised Taiwan’s “rapid response, decentralization, and civic-driven” characteristics, which align well with the multi-stakeholder approach advocated by DISARM and offer valuable insights for other democracies.
Beall also introduced new developments in countering information manipulation, highlighting DISARM’s “D-RAIL” tool, which aims to break down the entire process of information operations and increase operational costs at each stage to slow down attackers. He expressed hope for future collaboration with Taiwan on related initiatives.
This forum provided an important platform for global democracies to engage in dialogue on the risks of information warfare, and Taiwan’s practical experience drew significant international attention. DSET hopes that through its reports and continued international cooperation, more concrete actions can be promoted to collectively strengthen democratic resilience.
