In many Western democracies, there is a strong public desire for the state to engage more actively in the fight against disinformation. Citizens expect false information, along with hate speech, insults, and threats, to be flagged or removed, perpetrators to be punished, and social platforms to be more tightly regulated. But as significant as the threat of disinformation may be, governments and state authorities must tread carefully when dealing with this issue to avoid overreach or misuse.

Dealing with disinformation inevitably raises questions about freedom of speech as a core component of any democracy. In some parts of the world, we also see that it is governments or the ruling parties themselves that spread disinformation or use the tools developed to curb it to surpress press freedom and stifle opposition.

Government action against disinformation must therefore follow transparent checks and balances, ensuring that people are protected from hate and manipulation, without infringing on opinions. They should empower users, platforms and media, and delegate as many responsibilities as possible to independent institutions that are subject to broad societal oversight.

Why this pitch? Because Kai Unzicker, Lukas Bernhard, Leonie Schulz and I recently published our latest study with representative data from Germany and the U.S., where we asked citizens who they think is responsible to tackle the disinformation challenge, who is capable, and which measures they deem adequate. The results are clear: more political action is needed and platforms require independent oversight to ensure that democratic interests are not trumped by economic ones.

The study is available in German and English.