Trust and truth: Navigating the age of misinformation

Dr. Alex Himelfarb is the chair of Council of Canadian Academies’ Expert Panel on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Science and Health Misinformation. He chairs the board of the Narwhal and is a member of the boards of Atkinson Foundation, the Public Service Foundation and the Advisory Committee of the Auditor General, and is a fellow of the Broadbent and Parkland Institutes.

Choosing to lead the expert panel on science and health misinformation [2:30]Misinformation has become a defining issue of our time, why? [3:56]Social media, declining trust, and the quest for certainty [4:17]Fault lines in modern society [7:08]Socioeconomic impacts of science and health misinformation [8:57]Impact of misinformation on vulnerable and marginalized communities [11:00]With the rise of AI, what does the future hold? [12:36]Telltale signs of misinformation [14:29]Impact of misinformation on democracy [16:00]The role of government transparency and access to information in fighting misinformation [19:02]How individuals can fight back against misinformation [22:04]Building critical thinking, numeracy and media literacy into curriculum in schools [25:20]Communicating information more accessibly [26:14]Encouraging proactive disclosure by government institutions [28:13]

Resources:

Fault Lines(Report of the Expert Panel on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Science and Health Misinformation, Council of Canadian Academies, January 26, 2023)Verified (United Nations project to improve access to accurate information)IPC Transparency Showcase sheds light on open government projects (IPC news release, May 11, 2023)Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner calls on public institutions to join the Transparency Challenge (IPC news release, September 28, 2023)IPC Strategic Priorities 2021-2025

Info Matters is a podcast about people, privacy, and access to information hosted by Patricia Kosseim, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. We dive into conversations with people from all walks of life and hear stories about the access and privacy issues that matter most to them. 

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The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only. It should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the IPC does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this podcast, and information from this podcast should not be used or reproduced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. None of the information, opinions and recommendations presented in this podcast bind the IPC’s Tribunal that may be called upon to independently investigate and decide upon an individual complaint or appeal based on the specific facts and unique circumstances of a given case.