18/03/2026
📲 poses a genuine challenge to democratic societies, which depend on a well-informed and discerning public. At the same time, of expression remains a foundational pillar of democratic self-understanding and one that must be safeguarded.
💫 Against this backdrop, at the , HfP-Professor Yannis Theocharis and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis () discussed both the nature of the problem and the range of possible policy responses.
💬 “Though misinformation is a real concern in democratic societies, empirical research consistently shows that it constitutes only a marginal share of the overall information environment,” Prof. Theocharis noted during the panel.
📊 His recent work further demonstrates that the spread of misinformation is highly concentrated among a relatively small group of extremely active users. “This has important implications for : broad, sweeping measures may not be the most effective approach,” he added.
⚖️ The discussion also addressed the widely debated question of how democratic societies can balance the of with the mitigation of . For Prof. Theocharis, whose research focuses precisely on this tension, the answer lies in precision and targetted interventions rather than overreach, particularly in a context where companies are increasingly pushing back against regulatory efforts.
🇪🇺 Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis emphasized the importance of a coordinated European approach to platform governance, highlighting the role of the as a key instrument in addressing systemic risks in the digital public sphere.
🌟 Prof. Theocharis concluded by outlining a clear policy direction: “Effective responses to misinformation should prioritize targeted interventions, greater , responsible , and the robust implementation of the European Union’s .”
