NEWSLETTER – 13 & 15 April 2021 indirectly, anti-democratic values and malign WORDS FROM THE CHAIR foreign interference messages. Very often, advertisers and ad tech companies do not even Dear readers, know which sites their advertisements are ending up on and, consequently, are financing. Today, We have a busy there is a need to identify sites active in week ahead! On disinformation or hate speeches in order to prevent Tuesday 13 April, them from receiving funding through advertisings. we will have the This goes in addition to the need for major brands presentation of to ensure reputation, i.e. not appearing on malign one of the studies, commissioned by the European websites. We will also exchange with a Google Parliament’s Policy Department: “Disinformation representative about the Google policy and working and propaganda – impact on the functioning of the methodology concerning ads and how this could rule of law and democratic processes in EU and its address foreign interference concerns. The meeting Member States: 2021 update”. Its author, Dr. habil. will be organised in association with the Committee Judit Bayer, Associate Professor at Budapest on Internal Market and Consumer Protection Business University and Schumann Fellow at the (IMCO). University of Münster, is expected to provide an update of the disinformation situation in the period On Thursday 15 April, we will host a joint hearing of 2019-2020 and the first two months of 2021. She with the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence will also assess the tendencies of changing in a Digital Age (AIDA) on Tech Developments and disinformation practice and focus on legislative and Regulatory Approaches regarding Disinformation. policy responses, civil society initiatives, self- Technological developments have a significant regulative measures and good practices covering impact on our daily life. While technologies can several European Member States, and three third make our lives easier, they can also be used with states (Australia, Taiwan, USA). malign intents. Disinformation can spread more easily and on an industrious scale. It will be very In addition, we will hold an exchange of views with interesting to hear the insights from our experts on Peter Mattis, Senior Advisor for Global Democratic this issue. Resilience at the National Democratic Institute. He Raphaël GLUCKSMANN is a renowned China expert and has worked as Deputy Staff Director at the US Congressional Executive Commission on China. Working together with partners to face challenges in foreign interference coming from China has become more FOLLOW US important, especially after the sanctions that the Chinese government has imposed on many Twitter: @EP_Democracy European politicians and bodies. This exchange of Live webstreaming: views is meant to give more insights on the way the EP Live multimedia library with past US has been dealing with China and look for possible events areas of cooperation between the EU and the US. Sign up to this newsletter In the second part of the meeting, we will hold a public hearing on “Interference through advertisements”. The aim of this hearing is to contribute to the ongoing reflection on how online advertisings are used to promote, directly or at the Victims of Communism Memorial ON THE AGENDA Foundation. Previously he was a Fellow in the China 13 April Program at The Jamestown Foundation and also worked as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency. Prior to entering government service, he Presentation of the PolDep Study on worked as a research associate at the National Disinformation and Propaganda – 13.45-14.45 Bureau of Asian Research in its Strategic Asia and (Semi-remote meeting via room: SPINELLI 3E2) Northeast Asian Studies programs. Mr Mattis has also delivered lectures on China at the Council on The PolDep Study on “Disinformation and Foreign Relations, the Institute for International Propaganda – impact on the functioning of the rule Strategic Studies, various Universities as well as of law and democratic processes in EU and its many government-organized conferences. Member States: 2021 update” will be presented by Dr. habil. Judit Bayer. The presentation of the study Hearing on “Tech developments and regulatory will be followed by a short discussion. approaches to disinformation: Interference through advertisement” – 16.15-18.15 (Semi- Dr. habil. Judit BAYER is Associate Professor of remote meeting via room: SPINELLI 3E2) media law and international law at the Budapest Business University, Hungary, and a Schumann In this hearing, the committee will discuss ads- Fellow at the University of Münster at the Institute related topics, such as election interference through for Information, Telecommunication and Media advertisements and ad-funded disinformation, Law. Dr. habil. Bayer´s research interest is in monetisation strategy used by disinformation artificial intelligence and human rights, media actors, and the specific Google policy related to freedom and pluralism, content regulation in the advertising and possible detection of messages online environment and freedom of expression. promoting anti-democratic values. During her Schumann Fellowship, she was dealing with regulatory issues of hate speech in the social Invited experts: media platform environment. Furthermore, she has already provided her expertise to the European Ms Nandini JAMMI is co-founder of Check My Ads Parliament and has participated in research projects and Sleeping Giants as well as a leading activist in on issues such as hate speech and media pluralism the advertising industry. Nandini has been within the EU. immersed in digital advertising since 2016, when she began running Sleeping Giants, the award- In camera winning social media campaign that alerted Exchange of views with Peter Mattis “Lessons from advertisers that their ads were running on American the US: Chinese interference in US democracy and propaganda outlet Breitbart News. She now trains avenues for transatlantic cooperation” – 14.45- Fortune 500 companies and global brands to 15.45 (Semi-remote meeting via room: SPINELLI protect their ad budgets from disinformation and 3E2) hate speech online. Business Insider recognized Ms Jammi as one of the industry leaders “fixing” digital This exchange of views is held in association with advertising and DigiDay named her a DigiDay the European Parliament's Liaison Office in Changemaker. Prior to her activism, she worked in Washington DC and will take place behind closed marketing with tech start-ups in London and Berlin. doors. Ms Claire MELFORD is the Co-founder & Executive Mr Peter MATTIS is Senior Advisor for Global Director of The Global Disinformation Index, a not- Democratic Resilience at the National Democratic for-profit that aims to disrupt, defund and down- Institute (NDI). He served as the Deputy Staff rank disinformation. She is an experienced CEO in Director at the Congressional Executive Committee the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Ms on China and was a Research Fellow in China Studies Melford was formerly CEO of the International Business Leaders Forum and MD of MTV Networks, 2020 to the Government’s National Advisory Board Nordics. She has worked on start-ups in e- on Artificial Intelligence. She is also member of the commerce, fin-tech and ed-tech. Clare was a International Advisory Board of the European founding board member of Girls not Brides, the Parliament's Science and Technology Options global coalition to end child marriage. Assessment (STOA) Panel and of the Public Advisory Board of the Max Planck’s Intelligent Systems Ms Ghita HARRIS-NEWTON is the Director of Initiative “Cybervalley”. In 2018 she was awarded a Government Affairs & Public Policy for Ads at Theodor Heuss Medal “for the contribution to a Google, where she leads the team of public policy differentiated consideration of algorithms and their experts dedicated to supporting Google’s Ads mechanisms of action” with the AlgorithmWatch business. She has over 20 years of legal and policy initiative. experience with particular expertise in digital advertising, privacy and technology. Prior to joining Mr Yannis THEOCHARIS is a Professor and Chair of Google, Ms Harris-Newton was the Chief Privacy Digital Governance at the TUM School of Officer and VP of Legal at Quantcast. She has also Governance / Bavarian School of Public Policy worked at Yahoo, as the Assistant General Counsel (Hochschüle für Politik) of the Technical University and Global Head of Privacy Law & Privacy Policy, in of Munich. Prior to his appointment as Chair for private practice, and in U.S. Federal District Court. Digital Governance at TUM (2020), he was Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and Research Fellow at the Mannheim Centre for European Social ON THE AGENDA Research (MZES), Assistant Professor at the 15 April University of Groningen, and Professor of Communication and Media with focus on Innovative Methods at the University of Bremen. Prof. Hearing in association with AIDA: How tech and Theocharis studied Sociology at the University of regulatory development can be used to defend our Crete, New Media at the London School of democracies against interference – 13.45-16.45 Economics (LSE), and received his PhD in Political (Semi-remote meeting via room: ANTALL 2Q2) Science from University College London (UCL). His field of research is political behaviour with a focus AIDA and INGE will address challenges and on how digital media affects political participation, opportunities arising from technological and communication,