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The first Vulnerability Index of Disinformation in Kosovo was launched with USAID support in November 2022, and will be updated annually. The Vulnerability Index seeks to understand in depth the ongoing dynamics in Kosovo’s media information space and the attitudes of Kosovans toward information disorders and malign foreign influence. It assesses three key domains: 1. Media Environment, 2. Political Landscape, and 3. Public Perceptions. The Vulnerability Index revealed that the media environment and political landscape domains are more vulnerable to disinformation and foreign malign influence than the Public Perception domain. According to this index, the media environment is ranked 46 out of 100; the political landscape is ranked 45 out of 100; while public perception is less vulnerable with a ranking of 32 out of 100. 

The results were presented as part of the fourth annual Disinformation Conference, “DISICON,” organized by NDI with USAID support, which brings together experts, journalists and speakers from Kosovo, the region, EU, U.S. and Taiwan to discuss main threats of the information space in the digital age, and the impact of new generation of information and communication technologies. 

The challenge of information integrity, especially malign foreign influence, not only poses a threat to Kosovo’s democracy - but also that of the entire Western Balkans. Therefore, the DISCON conference made every effort to gather people from across the Western Balkans to address these common challenges, including participants of the Regional Forum for Information Integrity from Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania. Participants shared best practices and initiated discussions for regional cooperation to build resilience to challenges in the media and information environment, especially threats that come with future technologies.

DISICON has become an important regional platform and will continue its mission in finding the shared vision to build resilience on information integrity challenges in the digital age.

 

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Information Integrity in the Digital Age
Alyson Grunder, Deputy Chief of Mission USEP, at the Opening of the DISICON
NDI for USAIDKosovo
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