Building Partnerships To Fight Misinformation and Disinformation

In the lead-up to the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau established a “Trust and Safety” initiative for the purpose of monitoring online conversation about the 2020 Census to identify and respond to instances of misinformation or disinformation. Partnerships were created with civil society and consumer groups such as the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, AARP and the Better Business Bureau to aid in flagging troublesome online posts. Collaborations were formed with technology partners including Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest — all of which developed their own policies to fight disinformation. Chatbots employed as part of an online larger customer care initiative were programmed to correct inaccuracies. And the public was invited to report rumors via email.

In this panel discussion featuring leaders of the 2020 Census Trust and Safety Team, hear about the Census Bureau’s greatest challenges, and lessons learned that can inform your next public education campaign.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 
• Describe tools and techniques for monitoring negative or harmful social conversation.
• Determine thresholds for action and evaluating options for combating disinformation.
• Formulate insights on communicating effectively with the public around rumors, misinformation and disinformation.
• Define effective strategies for working with technology platforms to fight disinformation.