FACT CHECKING COLOMBIA CHECK This fact-checking initiative verifies messages and speeches delivered by authorities and public figures. The site publishes verified content organized by subject. Like other initiatives, it provides a section for explanations about issues of national relevance, such as the functioning of public services for the population and for migrants. The site dedicates special coverage to events of national importance, such as the 2021 strikes. The project is associated with the organization Consejo de Redacción (Newsroom Council), which is made up of Colombian journalists and receives funding from Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, as well as from state organizations such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). LA SILLA VACÍA The “lie detector” feature of the website La Silla Vacía53 checks politicians’ speeches, especially statements from political authorities and during elections. It also checks messages circulating on social media platforms The “lie detector” feature of such as Facebook, Instagram, and the website La Silla Vacía WhatsApp. During the Covid-19 checks politicians’ speeches, pandemic, the service also started especially statements from checking content on the pandemic. political authorities and La Silla Vacía also runs courses, during elections. although not on the topic of disinformation, but rather on digital journalism and journalistic work for websites, as well as on female leadership, confirming the focus on gender equality seen amongst other factchecking projects in the region. AFP FACTUAL The AFP Factual fact-checking project of Agence France-Presse is also active in Colombia. It promotes the verification of false statements and combats disinformation practices in different countries in Latin America. It collaborates with AFP’s editorial team to select relevant false news and offer verified information about the subject in question. MEDIA EDUCATION ENTRETANTO CUENTO In the field of media awareness and education, Telefónica Movistar, linked to one of the main telecom operators in the region, Spanish Telefónica, has developed the project “Entretanto Cuento.”54 The initiative’s website explains how and why people receive and share disinformation and discusses the I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH impacts of the circulation of misleading content on society. The site also offers a game in which internet users can assess their skills and knowledge on various topics. The project has developed training materials, such as a guide for teachers and families with suggestions and guidelines on how to work with children and adolescents on this topic (Entretanto Cuento n.d.). CONSELHO DE REDAÇÃO The Conselho de Redação (Newsroom Council), responsible for the Colombia Check project, has developed a series of courses for journalists on how to cover certain themes. The course received financial support from Facebook, which also provides resources to Colombia Check. Among other things, online training was offered to journalists on techniques, tools, and sources that can be used to verify information about the Covid-19 pandemic, the coronavirus, and alleged treatments. Basic factchecking methods in general and tips on how to cover health emergencies were covered, with the aim of improving fact checking of scientific content about Covid-19. The association also held a course on how to verify claims in electoral contexts. PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS At the state level, one of the responses adopted by the government has been the implementation of cyber-patrols—specialized groups of security forces set up to monitor the internet, including digital platforms, with the purpose of investigating crimes and holding accountable people who commit these abuses in the online environment. Carolina Botero of Fundación Karisma (interview, August 2021) points out that this initiative is problematic: “The idea of cyber-patrols as a whole is very complicated. Colombia started with this in 2015, and the main element was that cyberthreats were linked to cybersecurity. It’s been very much tied to disinformation and profiling. It is the government’s intention to control the narratives in the public space of the internet.” Another regulatory initiative that is not directly related to information disorder but has an impact on it was the publication in 2020 of a set of recommendations by the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC) to regulate advertising and commercial practices carried out by influencers (SIC 2020). This guide points out aspects of transparency in terms of sponsorship and other forms of payment for publishing posts about a brand or a certain topic. Carolina Botero from Fundación Karisma (interview, August 2021) Latin America and the Caribbean – 1 0 6