Policy project: Pointing at the man behind the curtain: How to design convincing disinformation detection?



Establishing a shared fact base is imperative for every democracy. Over the course of the last years, however, facts became increasingly contested, especially online, leaving few policy fields unaffected. Policies without broad public support will inevitably fail, as public health measures during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have repeatedly exemplified.

Christoph M. Abels is heading the digital transformation & cybersecurity programme at Polis180, where he was also a board member and treasurer. Beyond that, Christoph is a doctoral researcher at the Hertie School in Berlin. His work lies at the intersection of political science and psychology, investigating what makes individuals susceptible to disinformation. Christoph is currently coordinating the implementation of a research project on the automated detection of disinformation. He has worked in different consultancies and the startup sector. Christoph holds a Master’s degree in public policy and a Bachelor of Science in psychology.

(July 2022)