Strengthening Trust through Transparency, Access and Quality: Emerging Strategies to Tackle Disinformation

This session within the Science Summit 2025 addresses two pressing global challenges: (1) rebuilding trust among humans and societies and (2) combating the spread of disinformation.

The objectives are rooted in the recognition that no trust in information is possible if mistrust is too high within societies. Secondly, it considers that fact-checking—though essential—arrives too late in the process to effectively tackle disinformation. Two linked actions must be done to drastically reduce disinformation: 1. increasing the quality of content and 2. (re)building trust across those sharing and receiving content.

The session will examine how these two areas—content quality and trust-building—are not only interrelated but work in tandem to significantly reduce the spread of disinformation. Efforts presented will illustrate how improving the integrity of information and establishing trust between institutions and the public is possible through actionable strategies that create a more informed, resilient, and cohesive society.

The interconnections between trust markers and content quality disclosures will be presented in the context of existing efforts. Taking its roots in the scientific context that have defined criteria for creating trust and maintaining quality, the session closes with suggested actions for policymakers seeking to strengthen national data governance and stewardship.