Protect yourself and others from disinformation
New: Take the course on Untangling Misinformation and Disinformation!
Democracy and democratic institutions (for example, Parliament, provincial legislatures and the electoral process) have long faced threats from people or groups whose goal is to weaken them and weaken citizens’ trust in government. This includes disinformation, the deliberate spread of inaccurate information, and foreign interference which have a negative effect on the well-being of people living in Canada and on Canada’s unity.
You can protect yourself and others by becoming aware of the threats of disinformation and foreign interference, learning how to identify false information, and understanding how information is shared and consumed online.
This page contains tools and resources to help you spot and fight disinformation and foreign interference.
Protecting Democracy Toolkits
Download these toolkits for tips to help you spot and combat disinformation and foreign interference.
Toolkit for community leaders
Toolkit for elected officials and public office holders
Toolkit for public servants
Countering Disinformation: A Guidebook for Public Servants
The Countering Disinformation: A Guidebook for Public Servants (the Guidebook) was developed by the Protecting Democracy Unit (PDU) in the Privy Council Office (PCO). It gives federal public servants a basic understanding of the threat of disinformation to Canada’s democracy and offers guidance on how to identify, build public resilience to, and counter disinformation.
The Guidebook is just one part of a larger toolkit for public servants which will include training, workshops, and other related guidance on countering disinformation.
Combating disinformation
Disinformation is false information that is deliberately intended to mislead people.
Everyone is susceptible to believing disinformation. Think critically about the information you consume and take steps to make sure the information that you share is accurate and reliable.
Consult our Toolkits or visit the Government of Canada’s online disinformation page for information, tips, and guidance, including:
- how to fact-check information
- how to spot fraudulent websites
- how to recognize fake social media accounts
- how social media platforms are used to spread disinformation
You can also access the following videos, articles, and tips focused on identifying and combating disinformation.
Civil society organizations
- The Media Ecosystem Observatory is an interdisciplinary research initiative dedicated to analyzing the complex web of online harms and digital threats to democracy, while actively working to safeguard against them. The Observatory coordinates and supports the Canadian Digital Media Research Network.
- MediaSmarts is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization that develops digital and media literacy programs and resources for Canadians, including:
- Decoding the News – The best way to protect against disinformation is to become media savvy. This article provides information to help you distinguish between reliable and unreliable news.
- Impact of misinformation on the Democratic Process – Informed voters are essential to the democratic process. This page explores how to recognize misinformation and disinformation and how to be a more engaged consumer of political news, such as the Four Steps to Getting Better Political and Election News.
- Authentication 101 – On this page, you will find information on how to search and how to check information.
International
- OECD Dis/Mis Resource Hub – The hub is a peer learning platform for sharing knowledge, data and analysis of government approaches to tackling misinformation and disinformation.
- RESIST 2 Counter Disinformation Toolkit – This toolkit aims to help governments and communicators to effectively reduce the impact of misinformation and disinformation through strategic communications.
- Countering Information Influence Activities handbook – This handbook by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency is intended to increase public communicators’ awareness and understanding of information influence campaigns and develop their ability to respond.
Government of Canada
- Untangling Misinformation and Disinformation – This online self-paced course offers an overview of misinformation and disinformation, including why it exists, who is creating it, and the risks it poses to individuals, organizations and democratic institutions.
- A fact sheet on resisting disinformation during an election – Learn about how disinformation could be spread during elections and what you can do to protect yourself.
- Think twice before sharing online content – This video series outlines steps you could take before sharing content online.
- Fact or fiction: Quick tips to help identify “fake news” – These tips outline strategies you could use to quickly detect types of fake news.
- Canada’s efforts to counter disinformation – Russian invasion of Ukraine – This page outlines how disinformation is being used in the invasion of Ukraine and summarizes Canada’s response to the disinformation about the invasion. You will also find a list of tips you can use to spot disinformation about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Countering disinformation with facts – Russian invasion of Ukraine – This comprehensive list outlines Canada’s efforts to raise awareness of disinformation and propaganda related to the invasion of Ukraine.
- How to identify misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation (ITSAP.00.300) – This resource will help you determine the differences between misinformation, disinformation and malinformation (information that stems from the truth but is often exaggerated in a way that misleads and causes potential harm).
- Check the Source 1 – Elections Canada and Check the Source 2 – Elections Canada – These videos provide tips for checking sources and avoiding spreading false information as it relates to elections.
- Multi-Stakeholder Insights: A Compendium on Countering Election Interference – The Government of Canada and Paris Call Principle 3 co-leads Microsoft and the Alliance for Securing Democracy have been working together in a series of workshops to convene subject matter experts, share key observations and develop good practices for defending electoral processes and protecting democracy more generally. As a result of these workshops, the Paris Call Principle 3 co-leads have developed Multistakeholder Insights: A Compendium on Countering Election Interference, a good practice guide to help build global expertise and understanding about the best way to counter disinformation.
Spotting and reporting foreign interference
Foreign interference includes deliberate and covert activities by a foreign groups, state actors, or individuals to advance their interests, often to the detriment of Canada’s interests. Foreign interference can erode trust and threaten the integrity of our democratic institutions, political system, fundamental rights and freedoms, and ultimately, our sovereignty.
To learn more, consult our toolkits or visit the following websites for information, tools and guidance about foreign interference:
International
- European Union – Tackling R&I foreign interference (for academia and research)