Chileans were also among those who are most informed by social media, with a rate of 32 percent (Diazgranados 2020). In Chile, the pandemic has also been a mobilizing force for the production and circulation of disinformation. According to Juan Carlos Lara (interview, August 2021) from the NGO Derechos Digitales, certain individuals gained notoriety for the dissemination of false content: There have been some figures who have gained public relevance from conspiracy theories. They are not often taken seriously by the population. A publication that calls itself “the health guardian” [contains] a lot of disinformation: it speaks against vaccines; it gives a platform to people who spread information about miracle cures. There has also been great discussion on and questioning of the veracity of the Chilean government’s data on Covid-19 cases and deaths. 7.2 ACTORS AND STRATEGIES TO COMBAT DISINFORMATION CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS DERECHOS DIGITALES Chile has a number of civil society entities that work with disinformation. One of these is Derechos Digitales, which is based in the country but also has a regional scope. The organization produces research and reports on digital rights, discussing, issues such as intermediary liability and others that impact on disinformation, including net neutrality and zero rating. The team is also involved in researching disinformation in political contexts, more specifically Derechos Digitales the use of electoral advertising on engages in advocacy Facebook, in collaboration with the in terms of legislative electoral service of the country. In addition, Derechos Digitales initiatives and processes in engages in advocacy in terms of public institutions, and on legislative initiatives and processes digital platforms. in public institutions, and on digital platforms. In relation to Parliament, the organization focuses on the discussion of bills that aim to combat disinformation or are in some way related to this practice, seeking to problematize the consequences for freedom of expression and digital rights that these measures may have. Regarding platforms, Derechos Digitales maintains a dialogue with several companies about challenges to freedom of expression on their platforms. According to Juan Carlos Lara (interview, I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH August 2021), “with platforms, the conversations are largely driven by the companies themselves, specifically Facebook, Twitter and Google. There is a conversation about content moderation with Facebook. In the case of Twitter, the AlSur alliance is one of the social network’s safety partners.” FUNDACIÓN DATOS PROTEGIDOS Fundación Datos Protegidos45 is active in the area of digital rights, covering topics such as privacy and freedom of expression, including disinformation. In partnership with academic institutions, the entity prepares an annual national report on freedom of expression, in which it maps the violations of this right and the situation in Chile. The organization also promotes debates and campaigns related to pluralism and the fight against media concentration, important elements in the mitigation of disinformation. In the context of the protests related to the Constituent Assembly, the foundation contributed to gathering information about and highlighting human rights violations committed by state forces, to combat a situation of disinformation about these abuses against the population and human rights defenders. One example was the “Testigo em línea” campaign, which aimed to collect reports and evidence of such violations. FACT CHECKING Chile is home to the largest number of fact-checking initiatives, with a total of twelve. As shown in Table 1 earlier in this report, these include independent agencies, projects associated with large media outlets, and initiatives linked to universities. The independent agencies are initiatives that were created with the primary purpose of conducting verification. Some of them emerged in the context of the 2019 social protests, such as Mala Espina Check,46 which also partnered with Chequeado in Argentina. Fast Check47 also emerged as a result of the street demonstrations that began that year. Cazadores de Fake News48 works with a collective analysis model and focuses on disinformation about Venezuela. The initiatives associated with large media outlets include projects linked to international vehicles, such as AFP, and those linked to national media. AFP Factual divides the work into regions and themes, such as health, environment, science, politics, and sports. El Polígrafo is associated with El Mercurio, the largest newspaper in the country. The newspapers La Tercera and El Dínamo also have their own fact-checking projects. In the case of La Tercera, there is no separate, dedicated website; Latin America and the Caribbean – 1 02