The VIGILANT Project team introduced a minimum viable prototype of our cutting-edge platform at the GLOBSEC 2024 Forum in Prague, a gathering of global leaders and experts that provided an ideal setting for a compelling live demonstration. Attended by representatives from police departments, state institutions, and civil society, the demonstration showcased the tool’s capacity to detect, analyse, and investigate disinformation and other harmful content linked to criminal activities.
With over 2,300 delegates in attendance, including six presidents, three prime ministers, and30 ministers, alongside nearly 250 journalists from 40 countries, the conference offered an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our platform to a global audience.
The presentation was led by key team members, Brendan Spillane, Assistant Professor at the ADAPT Centre, University College Dublin, and Gary Munnelly, Postdoctoral Researcher at Trinity College Dublin. They discussed the significant threats posed by disinformation, including hate speech, conspiracy theories, violent extremism, and more. Such content, they explained, threatens democracy, state institutions, public order, security, and the rule of law, spreading and mutating like a virus across the internet and social media platforms.
The live demonstration then featured the latest version of the VIGILANT platform applied in an investigation case study based on a real-life scenario developed with a European law enforcement authority. This was followed by a deep-dive discussion about the daily challenges police but also civil society actors face due to disinformation.
The relevance of the tool was, moreover, underscored by recent events, including street violence and police clashes in Britain triggered by disinformation, as well as the continuous flow of extremist content online related to ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
In an era where digital threats are increasingly complex, the VIGILANT tool provides crucial support to police forces, enhancing their ability to combat these threats effectively and efficiently. Learn more about the platform here.
The VIGILANT project represents an important step forward in the battle against disinformation, which has become a threat we all now face daily. - Gary Munnelly, Trinity College Dublin
