FIDU - Federazione Italiana Diritti Umani

Report March 2025

Submitted
FIDU (Italian Federation for Human Rights) is a global organization dedicated to safeguarding human rights, upholding the rule of law, and supporting victims of human rights abuses. FIDU’s work primarily focuses on advocacy, awareness campaigns, fact-finding missions, monitoring elections and trials, and reporting abuses. To achieve its mission, FIDU draws upon its vast international network, which includes civil society organizations (CSOs), universities, media professionals, lawyers, and experts. These collaborations aim to strengthen traditional mechanisms for human rights protection and introduce innovative tools to combat impunity and defend victims of abuses. Recognizing the growing threats posed by disinformation and foreign interference to human rights and the rule of law, FIDU actively engages in efforts to counter these phenomena. FIDU’s work in this field is focused on raising awareness about the negative impact of disinformation and foreign interference on society, as well as monitoring and analysing the narratives, methodologies, and targets used in disinformation campaigns. 
During the reporting period and in relation to the Code’s commitments, FIDU successfully completed the implementation of two key projects: one, under the European Commission’s CERV Programme, Media Literacy for Democracy (MLFD), which aimed at promoting an effective and inclusive European media literacy strategy among citizens to protect democracy, another one, New Media Literacy Strategies to Counter Antisemitism, within the Coalition to Counter Online Antisemitism (CCOA), focused on developing media literacy programs to counter antisemitism. Both initiatives contributed to empower experts across the EU to create and implement strategies against hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation targeting our society. In addition to these projects, FIDU organized numerous events, including conferences and workshops on media literacy, disinformation, and foreign interference. Members of the organization also participated in various national and international events to further its advocacy efforts and raise awareness on the necessity of a multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach to address these issues. Specifically, during the reporting period, FIDU’s activities related to media literacy and the fight against disinformation have focused on four main areas: advocacy, training, participation in cross-sectoral activities, and publications. FIDU’s advocacy efforts focused on organizing various national and international public events. These activities involved discussions on disinformation, media literacy, and strategies to face the current challenges. FIDU collaborated with multiple institutions, experts, and stakeholders to present findings, share policy recommendations, and explore solutions to address the challenges posed by disinformation and foreign interference. In terms of training, within the framework of the MLFD and the New Media Literacy Strategies to Counter Antisemitism projects, FIDU organized and implemented several national and international training sessions and workshops, both in person and online, primarily targeting students, young professionals, and media workers. Regarding the participation in cross-sectoral activities, FIDU participated in several events aimed at exchanging best practices and insights on media literacy and advancing recommendations. Finally, regarding publications, the main publications released during the reporting period are related to the findings and recommendations of the MLFD project MLFD Policy Recommendations and of the New Media Literacy Strategies to Counter Antisemitism project Final Report. 
Furthermore, FIDU’s work on disinformation extends to the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. In collaboration with Ukrainian partners, FIDU works to raise awareness of the realities of the war while combating pro-Kremlin narratives. This includes continuous analysis of how these narratives are spread through both traditional and new media, identifying the targets of such campaigns, and examining the methods used in these operations. 
FIDU’s participation in the Code of Practice on Disinformation is specifically related to the subgroups Crisis Response and Outreach and Integration of New Signatories. 

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Crisis 2024
[Note: Signatories are requested to provide information relevant to their particular response to the threats and challenges they observed on their service(s). They ensure that the information below provides an accurate and complete report of their relevant actions. As operational responses to crisis/election situations can vary from service to service, an absence of information should not be considered a priori a shortfall in the way a particular service has responded. Impact metrics are accurate to the best of signatories’ abilities to measure them].
Threats observed or anticipated
At the time of reporting, significant threats related to mis- and disinformation continue to be observed, particularly concerning the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict. These threats contribute to widespread information disorder, affecting both online and traditional media. The dissemination of false or misleading information through various channels, including news outlets, social media platforms, as well the use of diverse tactics, create confusion and distorts public debates. In some cases, the disinformation and harmful narratives related to the Russian war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict have been interconnected, with the narratives being manipulated across multiple conflicts. This results in a lack of timely, accurate, and comprehensive information for the general public, which often leads to reactive rather than proactive responses. Additionally, vulnerable groups, such as marginalized communities, are disproportionately impacted by disinformation and require tailored approaches to address their specific challenges. 
Mitigations in place
Mitigation: FIDU’s work in the media literacy field and disinformation counteraction aims to mitigate these threats by empowering individuals across different sectors to critically assess both online and traditional media sources, ensuring that more informed, proactive responses are fostered in the face of evolving global challenges. Specifically, FIDU’s action, based on a multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral approach, includes:

- Analysis of the modus operandi used by foreign actors: tactics (social media, fake accounts and state-run outlets disseminated fake news), targets, and goals.

- Raising awareness on disinformation, foreign interference and information manipulation at a multi-sector level.

- Promote activities based on cross-sector cooperation.

All the activities are addressed by always keeping in mind the need to balance the right to freedom of expression, the right to be informed, and the protection of democracy and the rule of law from disruptions to the public debate.

During the reporting period, FIDU conducted various activities, including hosting conferences in collaboration with Institutions, publishing reports and policy papers, and participating in expert roundtables. These activities aimed to disseminate knowledge, facilitate discussion, and foster collaboration among stakeholders in order to improve the Member States’ response to crisis. 
Empowering Users
Outline approaches pertinent to this chapter, highlighting similarities/commonalities and differences with regular enforcement.

-    Publication of findings, analysis, and recommendations related to the spread of antisemitism during Israel-Hamas conflict: https://fidu.it/wp-content/uploads/Report_New-Media-Literacy-Strategies-to-Counter-Antisemitism.pdf 


-    Publication of an analysis of vulnerability to disinformation and policy recommendations for media literacy: https://fidu.it/wp-content/uploads/FINAL_MLFD-Recommendations.pdf


-    Organisation of trainings and expert workshops on the spread of disinformation during the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

-    Organisation of the conference Countering Disinformation as a Global Challenge in collaboration with ECFR and the Embassies in Rome of the Republic of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Ukraine to exchange insights and coordinate strategies to counter disinformation and foreign interference in the context of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.