The VIGILANT project was successfully kicked-off by the consortium members in November 2022. Two packed days of presentations and conversations were hosted by the project leader – ADAPT Centre at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin.
At the beginning of the kick-off meeting, Dr Tom Clonan, Irish Senator, security analyst and retired Irish Army Captain delivered a key-note speech on the topic of Disinformation Security in Europe. Among other issues, he welcomed the VIGILANT project as timely, exciting and challenging at the same time, adding: “This exemplary European cooperation is an important step towards preserving freedom of speech and expression while striking the delicate balance with disinformation.”
The VIGILANT project brings together 17 leading European partners from academia, industry, government research centers, and 4 Police Authorities in an interdisciplinary consortium to combat this threat to societal cohesion and democracy.
VIGILANT will help Police Authorities detect and analyse disinformation from all major online sources, in all modalities (text, image, video) and in multiple languages. The platform can also help Police Authorities to detect and investigate hate speech, violent nationalist or separatist movements, radicalization and extremist groups, incels, lone wolves, and other counter terrorism threats. Experts from computer science and ethics will ensure that the highest standards of ethics and personal data protections are met throughout the project.