instead, verifications are published under a “factchecking” section. There are also verification projects associated with TV stations and websites. Bío-bío Comunicaciones is one example of a conglomerate associated with a radio station in the country. The initiative also does not have a dedicated webpage; instead, verifications are published on the website of the radio station. Another case is Meganotícias Notícias Falsas, an initiative derived from the news program Meganotícias, of the Mega TV station. Initiatives linked to universities include the Observatório de Datos del Periodismo y de la Comunicación (Observatory of Data related to Journalism and Communication),49 a program that was created at the Adolfo Ibanez University in the capital, Santiago. Fact Checking50 is a project run by students and professors at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, also in Santiago. Chequeando was developed by students and professors at the University of Conception (Universidad de Concepción). As in the case of other independent agencies, the project was created to monitor information about the 2019–2020 protests. MEDIA EDUCATION The country also has a number of media awareness and education initiatives. In the context of the constitutional referendum in 2020, the National Electoral Service (Servel) met with civil society entities, including Derechos Digitales and others from diverse areas, such as Chile 21 and the Associación Chilena de Ciencia Política (ACCP, Chilean Association for Political Science), to discuss measures to ensure a “secure” process (La Tercera 2020). Also in the framework of the plebiscite process, the Chilean office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Instituto Milenio de Investigación Sobre los Fundamentos de Los Datos (IFMD, Millennium Institute for Foundational Research on Data) have signed an agreement to evaluate information contamination related to the constitutional process. The project involved the writing of materials and content aimed at drawing attention to the problems of misinformation and what the entities called “informational contamination.” Another initiative that has brought different actors together against information disorder is the campaign “Protégete de la información contaminada” (Protect yourself against contaminated information), which was launched in October 2020 by the Organização dos Estados Iberoamericanos (OEI, Organization of Latin American States), Ahora nos Toca Participar I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH del Nuevo Pacto Social (NPS-Chile, It Is Time to Participate in the New Social Pact), Ciudadania Inteligente (Intelligent Citizenry), and Derechos Digitales. The initiative has developed resources for society to critically relate to the information disseminated about the process, with guidelines to avoid believing and sharing “contaminated” information (OEI 2020). PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS In 2020 the Consejo para la Transparencia (CPLT, the Transparency Council), an autonomous public institution, launched a campaign against disinformation focused on the elections, called DESComparte (Epicentro Chile 2020). The initiative produces and disseminates materials that contain guidelines and tips for identifying misleading content and that highlight the importance of not sharing this type of message. DESComparte is thus active in raising awareness among the population about the risks and harms of accessing and sharing false content. LEGAL INITIATIVES In 2018, a bill was presented to the Chilean Senate that provides for politicians (such as presidents, senators, deputies, mayors, and councilors) to be removed from office if found guilty of producing, disseminating, and financing fake news. In 2020, a new proposal was brought to the Chamber of Deputies that would include in the Penal Code the crime of publishing or disseminating fake news aimed at hindering the work of health authorities during health crises. Michele Bordachar (interview, August 2021), a member of Derechos Digitales, argues that these initiatives have been presented as a form of political response in an effort to gain visibility: “Projects have been presented, but they haven’t advanced. Representatives file the project, call the press. It is very profitable to present a project. But they were done without much effort and were abandoned.” Latin America and the Caribbean – 1 03