This ICT4Peace Foundation podcast features an in-depth discussion between host Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa and veteran open source intelligence expert Eoghan Sweeney. They explore the dramatic changes that have unfolded in the online information landscape over the past decade. Their conversation comes in the aftermath of the traumatic October 2023 conflict between Israel and Hamas that caused unprecedented volumes of disinformation flooding social channels.

Sweeney shares insights from his over 15 years of experience investigating content and verifying sources to battle deception. He traces the evolution of techniques like fact checking, while also warning of excessive faith being placed in these approaches alone to combat false narratives. Both speakers grapple with the extreme, affect-charged polarisation propagated via social platforms in conflict situations and the difficulty of establishing truth.

Looking ahead, concerns get raised about the potential for artificial intelligence like generative text models to manufacture fake accounts, documents, and multimedia at staggering scales. With human creators already overmatched, such technologies risk further confusing and manipulating information consumers. Sweeney urges societies to prioritise awareness, media literacy efforts, and teaching healthy skepticism.

This podcast examines the crossroads where information technology, mass deception, and human psychology collide. It highlights grave threats but also pathways to hope if ordinary citizens exercise discernment and if democracies invest in knowledge over propaganda.