Disinformation, Misinformation, and Democracy

A comparative, solutions-oriented legal and policy analysis of methods used to combat the impact of dis- and misinformation on democracy.

Dis- and misinformation propagated across traditional and social media clearly undermines democracy – yet so does repressing political speech in the name of truth. This book brings together legal experts from democracies worldwide to explore the challenges of balancing free speech and combatting dis- and misinformation.In today's digital age, the spread of dis- and misinformation across traditional and social media poses a significant threat to democracy. Yet repressing political speech in the name of truth can also undermine democratic values. This volume brings together prominent legal scholars from democracies worldwide to explore and evaluate different regulatory approaches for addressing this complex problem – all taking into account that the cure must not be worse than the disease. Using a comparative lens, the book offers important and novel insights into methods ranging from national regulation of politicians' speech to empowering civil-society groups that are well-positioned to blunt the effects of disinformation and misinformation. The book also provides solutions-oriented recommendations for policymakers, judges, legal practitioners, and scholars seeking to promote democratic values by encouraging free political speech while combatting disinformation and misinformation. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.