A focus group of Canadians told Canada’s cyber intelligence service to not stray too far into pushing an agenda and present itself as an authority on truth, when questioned about a media campaign to combat disinformation.
In a recent study conducted by Ekos Research Associates on behalf of the Communications Security Establishment, Canadians expressed reservations about the government’s approach to combatting disinformation.
The study, titled “Study on Online Disinformation Advertising Creative Testing (2023-2024),” aimed to gather insights to refine the CSE’s advertising campaign strategy.
CSE’s campaign seeks to educate Canadians about the nature of disinformation, its creators, and their motives. To do this, the agency deployed various ads directing individuals to a campaign landing page for further information on the subject.
The study, which cost taxpayers $45,192, organized eight online focus groups comprised of participants from various regions across Canada. These groups discussed different concepts proposed for the campaign and provided feedback on their suitability for the target audience.
Among the key findings, some Canadians were concerned that the government was going too far with its efforts to rein in disinformation.
“A number of participants expressed reservations about the Government presenting itself as an ‘authority’ on disinformation, perceived that the Government of Canada would be declaring what is true or not, or cautioned that an authoritative tone would reduce the likelihood that some Canadians would go to or use the website to learn more,” researchers wrote.
“Many emphasized the need for neutral presentation of examples of what to look for or how to fact check, being careful not to use this as an opportunity to further an agenda.
Around the time the study was conducted in September 2023, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly pledged Canada as a leading signatory to a United Nations initiative to fight disinformation globally.
The document calls on signatory countries to take “necessary and appropriate measures, including legislation, to address information integrity and platform governance.”