Good to be back in Brussels for European Citizens’ Panel, session 2, debating EU hashtag#PreparednessUnion. As a member of the hashtag#KnowledgeCommitee, I addressed citizens’ concerns whether countering hashtag#disinformation and other hashtag#hybridthreats interferes with basic freedoms, especially with hashtag#freedomofspeech. I argued that countering disinformation vs. preserving freedom of speech is largely a false trade off. On the contrary, during normal times and crises alike, we need more free speech, more hashtag#freelycirculatingspeech, to be precise. Plurality of freely circulating speech is an asset, and not a liability. Seen this way, free speech goes hand in hand with hashtag#freedomofattention, with citizens having hashtag#agency over their online and offline attention. It is the job, the duty of regulators, authorities, decision-makers to make sure that during crises, the relevant information (the signal) does not disappear into the noise and that citizens’ attention is not hijacked by misleading or even harmful practices, addictive features, network structures and incentives.

Voicing these opinions from the European Commission’s TV studio in the Berlaymont building where Jean Monnet was interviewed (see picture) was a deeply emotional experience for me, both as a professional and as a person.

Heartfelt thank you to everyone engaged in this conversation, offline and online!
Mark Hessellund Beanland Christiane Dienel Sophia Eriksson Waterschoot Meyra Çoban Gaëtane Ricard-Nihoul Phillipa Tucker Prerna Humpal Adrian Bucałowski Maarten Vergauwen Gaetano Vivo Nathan Clark Géraldine Libreau Camille Freixinos Andersson Christina Kristof Bonnarens Kathryn Owens Miriam Alba Reina Yago Bermejo Abati Jeanette Serritzlev Stacey Vickers Katie Owens Sébastien Francais
Jacob Birkenhäger Corina Buzoianu Monica Bira Jose Segarra Murria

hashtag#EuropeanCitizensPanel hashtag#PreparednessSavesLives hashtag#EUPreparedness
hashtag#FreedomOfAttention
hashtag#OnlineAttention