Wikimedia Israel celebrates 20 Years of Hebrew Wikipedia with a conference about the “Fake” phenomenon on the internet
Wikimedia Israel marked the culmination of a year-long celebration of the 20 years of Hebrew Wikipedia with a special conference held on June 9, 2024, sponsored by the Wikimedia Foundation. The meeting focused on the immense importance and challenges of Wikipedia and Wikimedia in a “fake” and AI-generated content world.
Wikimedia Israel organized the conference with the Data, Governance, and Democracy Track at Reichman University. It brought together leading figures in Israel dealing with fake news, disinformation, and manipulation.
The goals of the conference were to:
- Examine the impacts and consequences of fake on human society
- Discuss the threats and opportunities of using artificial intelligence
- Develop critical thinking skills among knowledge and information enthusiasts
- Raise awareness of the work of Wikimedia Israel
- Establish Wikimedia Israel’s place as one of the gatekeepers in the age of fake news
- Increase and diversify Wikimedia Israel’s partners
About 200 people attended the event, including:
- The Hebrew Wikipedia community, especially graduates of Wikimedia Israel editing courses
- Academics – professors and students
- The education system: teachers, principals
- The GLAM community: galleries, libraries, archives, museums
- Media professionals
Itzik Edri, Chairman of Wikimedia Israel, opened the conference by presenting data from a survey conducted by the chapter related to online usage habits, AI tool usage, and the phenomenon of fake news on websites and social networks in Israel.
“The data shows that most of the Israeli public today is concerned that the content they read may be fake and biased by stakeholders. And that the AI tools that are flourishing and being adopted by all of us at a rapid pace are making a significant contribution to this.” Edri reflected that more than half of the public believes that developing AI tools will deepen the “Fake” problem and fear that these tools are already basing their responses on fake content on the net. “These are disturbing data that testify to the responsibility and importance of organizations like Wikimedia to provide tools, technological and educational, to the public to be able to identify “Fake” and biases and consume reliable knowledge.'”
Professor Karine Nahon, Head of the Data, Governance, and Democracy Track at Reichman University, reinforced Edri’s words and said that she has witnessed in recent years a widespread process of weakening liberal democracies worldwide.
“On the one hand, the information and AI age has increased our participation as citizens on the edge, but at the same time, it has increased the feeling that it is possible to say anything without taking responsibility. In this era, fake news is a critical challenge to society and has a role in weakening democracies. Traditional intermediaries between citizens and the state (including traditional media, the public service) in democracies are frequently attacked to a large extent with the help of fake news weapons.
“There are thousands of shades of gray in fake news content, which makes it difficult to identify, and dealing with it is extremely complex. In addition, the flow of fake news content on networks has several characteristics: the first is that fake news content in a social-political aspect usually comes in conjunction with blatant, extreme, racist, inciting, or populist messages.
“The second characteristic is that empirically fake news spreads faster, further in terms of networks, and to more diverse audiences. False information can go viral and spread much more than non-false information. We must admit wholeheartedly that the classic liberal theories, which were the anchor for legislation on freedom of expression, have failed.
“The question, then, that should concern us, is not only how much and whether there is fake news, but to understand the role of such platforms that set the rules of the game in the public sphere, and their impact on us as a society and as individuals, and on our democracy.”
Michal Wander Schwartz, Executive Director of Wikimedia Israel, spoke about the importance of the chapter that supports Wikipedia’s activities in Israel in raising awareness of the importance of the fight against “Fake”:
“Wikimedia Israel sees paramount importance in raising awareness of the importance of the fight against fake and is working in the education system, academia, and with the general public to provide tools for informed and critical consumption of information and to create free and reliable content on the net and in particular on Wikipedia.”
The conference brought to the agenda the central contribution of Wikimedia Israel, which is proud to be part of the forefront of the effort to maintain a digital space as clean as possible from “Fake”.
THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM
GREETINGS
- Dr. Amit Lavie-Dinur, Dean of the Sammy Ofer School of Communications, Reichman University
- Michal Wander Schwartz, Executive Director of Wikimedia Israel
- Prof. Karine Nahon, Head of the Data, Governance, and Democracy Track at Reichman University
SESSION 1 – Behind the curtains of Wikipedia
The place Wikipedia holds in Israeli lives and will AI change that?
- Izik Edri, Chairman of Wikimedia Israel
Panel of Wikipedia editors:
Mechanisms for monitoring bias, errors, and misinformation in Hebrew Wikipedia
- Darya Kantor, Information Specialist at the Harman Library of Natural Sciences at the Hebrew University
- Jonathan Berkheim, PhD student at the Weizmann Institute and science writer
- Daniel Levy, retiree and Wikipedia writing enthusiast
- Moderated by: Orly Simon, Head of Library Processes Department at the National Library of Israel
Teaching Encyclopedic Writing in the Age of “Fake”: A glimpse into the training worlds of Wikimedia Israel
- Shai Katz, Deputy Executive Director of Content and Programs, Wikimedia Israel
The Race for Truth: A Multi-Dimensional Look at Fake Through the Lens of Wikipedia
- Dr. Shani Evenstein Sigalov, Lecturer and Researcher, Tel Aviv University; Board Member, Wikimedia Foundation
- In conversation with Tal Schneider, Political and Diplomatic Correspondent, זמן ישראל (Zman Yisrael)
SESSION 2 – Deepfake and Non-Authentic Campaigns
When We Can’t Trust Our Eyes and Ears
- Michael Matias, Founder and CEO of Clarity
Exposing and analyzing AI-powered non-authentic network campaigns that undermine national resilience
- Prof. Eirad Ben Gal, XPOZ and Head of the LAMBDA Lab at Tel Aviv University
Deepfakes and the 2024 Elections
- Maya Horowitz, VP of Research, Check Point
SESSION 3 – Telling the Story in a Turbulent Ecosystem
Ignite Talk – Documentation, History, and Narrative Setting
- Ziv Koren, Documentary Photographer
Narratives, Power, and Consciousness
- Brigadier General (Ret.) Miri Eisin, Head of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism Policy (ICT), Reichman University
- In conversation with Moshe Bar, Expert in Military Information Warfare
Rationality of Conspiracies, Polarization of Facts, and the Danger to Democratic Societies
- Prof. Levy Spector, The Open University
- In conversation with Tal Schneider, Political and Diplomatic Correspondent, זמן ישראל (Zman Yisrael)
Design of Disinformation – Not What You Thought
- Mati Marianski, Artist and Entrepreneur in the Field of Artificial Intelligence
- Dr. Hadas Erel, Head of the Social Robotics Group at the Media Innovation Lab, Reichman University
- Shira Rivnai, The Sami Ofer School of Communication, Reichman University (How Disinformation is Designed Through the Network Ecosystem)
- Moderated by Dr. Noa Morag, The Sami Ofer School of Communication, Reichman University
Policy – What Are We Missing?
- Dr. Asaf Wiener, Deputy CEO of Research and Public Policy, Israel Internet Association
- Dr. Dalit Ken-Dror Feldman, The Law Clinic for Technology and Cyber, University of Haifa
- With the participation and moderation of Dr. Tehilla Altshuler, Law and Technology Expert, Senior Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute
SESSION 4 – The Human in the Age of Information and Fifty Shades of Fake
Fake News and Alternative Facts: Between Trust and Belief
- Dr. Yuval Karniel, The Sami Ofer School of Communication, Reichman University
What’s Happening in Our Brains in the Age of Information?
- Prof. Amir Amedi, Head of the Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition & Technology, Reichman University
- In conversation with Prof. Karine Nahon, Head of the Data, Governance, and Democracy Track at Reichman University
Skepticism – The Solution or the Cause of the Misinformation Epidemic?
- Prof. Ruth Mayo, Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University
SESSION 5 – Activism for and Against Fake
Crowdsourcing for Truth
- Inbar Yasur, Information Specialist, Expert in Disinformation and Networks of Influence
Spotlight on the Book: How to Overcome Fake News and Media Manipulation in Israel
- Tomer Avital, Independent Journalist and Social Activist
Early Detection of Manipulation and Influence Attempts Through Data Analysis
- Gil Feldman, Expert in Data Processing and Information Analysis
How Disinformation Became the Biggest Threat to the World – and How to Beat It
- Achia Shaz, CEO Fake Reporter
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