The Misinformation and Disinformation Idea-thon

Update:

Read about the solutions from the Idea-thon and key takeaways here.

Overview

Help Solve a Major Societal Problem—Bring Your Ideas to Fight Misinformation and Disinformation

Misinformation and disinformation pose a significant threat to democracy. They are spread by authoritarian state actors and malign non-state actors bent on undermining and damaging free and liberty-loving republics. Unfortunately, most solutions come internally from social media platforms or rest with governments to devise. A new grassroots strategy is needed: bottom-up rather than top-down.

That is why R Street Institute and George Mason University are holding an Idea-thon to address the problem and find new solutions. Teams will form to attack misinformation and disinformation from four tracks: government, business/technology, nonprofit, and education. Winning teams will receive prizes.

Examples of work products include new legislation and regulations, a business plan for a tech start-up, a mobile app, an academic course, or a new nonprofit. Be creative!

Software developers are needed, but no computer science skills are necessary to participate. Just bring your best ideas for combating misinformation and disinformation.

A note on Idea-thon structure and teams: 

Teams: Each team will be comprised of at least 6 people. The teams are organized by the primary category their solution falls under: Government, business/technology, nonprofit, and education. 

Coaches: There will be one coach per category, whose role will be to help fill in any knowledge gaps and help the teams best achieve their goal.

Join us for a day-long idea-thon! Build a team, invite your friends.

More details and a full agenda will be published shortly. 

Contact Brent M. Eastwood at beastwood@rstreet.org with questions about the event.