ONA forges new partnership to host policy conference on deepfakes and disinformation

First-time collaboration with ITIF and ACM; save the date for June 2

By on May 12, 2021

The Online News Association (ONA) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the Association of Computing Machinery’s (ACM) U.S. Technology Policy Committee to host Deepfakes, Disinformation and Democracy on June 2. Join leaders in media, technology, law and government for a virtual conference on emerging trends in disinformation, what’s at stake and how the journalism community can earn and sustain trust from the public. Registration is free, and sessions will take place from 1–4 p.m. EDT (17:00–20:00 UTC).

The deepfakes policy conference represents ONA’s first collaboration with ITIF and ACM—connecting digital journalism innovators with law and policy experts that influence strategies to tackle disinformation and impact the long-term outlook for the industry.

ITIF is a research and educational institute focused on critical issues at the intersection of technology innovation and public policy. ITIF’s goal is to provide policymakers around the world with high-quality information, analysis and recommendations they can trust. USTPC is a 130-member committee that regularly educates and informs the U.S. Congress, White House and courts about developments in information technology.

Conversations at the June 2 conference will cover three areas:
  • State of deepfakes and disinformation: Catch up on the latest on video deepfakes and what to watch for. Speakers include Ashish Jaiman, Director of Technology Operations at Microsoft.
  • Impact on national security, elections and human rights: Panelists include human rights advocate Gabriela Ivens, who leads open source research at Human Rights Watch.
  • Improving trust in online media: ONA General Counsel Alison Schary (Davis Wright Tremaine LLP) will moderate a discussion among Vint Cerf, internet pioneer and Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google; Joan Donovan, Research Director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy; and Dana Rao, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Adobe.

Daniel Braun, Deputy Head of Cabinet for Věra Jourová (European Commission Vice President for Value and Transparency), will also join the program to share perspectives from Europe on fighting disinformation.

We encourage you to follow @ONA@ITIFdc and @TheOfficialACM for updates as we announce more speakers.

Register now for Deepfakes, Disinformation and Democracy


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The Online News Association was founded in 1999 as a forum for digital news pioneers to collaborate on common challenges and encourage the highest journalistic standards. Become an ONA member or make a donation to sustain our mission to inspire and support innovation and excellence in digital journalism.

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Karolle Rabarison

Karolle Rabarison is ONA's Director of Communications. She collaborates across the team to connect the journalism community to emerging tech and leadership training, networking, industry trends, and career development resources.