Recent attacks on politicians in Europe signal a rise in politically motivated violence in part driven by disinformation. Media literacy interventions can help increase societal resilience to disinformation and subsequently protect democracy.

This article gives an overview of two ongoing 3-year Horizon Europe sister projects, VIGILANT and FERMI that both develop technical platforms to support law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) in the fight against disinformation campaigns, including those that target free and fair elections.

In Mach 2024, the Bavarian Police Academy held the webinar “Extremismus, Gewalt und Verschwörungstheorien in Deutschland und Bayern: Eine aktuelle Bestandsaufnahme“ (Extremism, violence and conspiracy theories in Germany and Bavaria: taking stock), addressing the entire landscape of politically motivated extremism and the role of conspiracy theories.

On 21 March 2024, the FERMI consortium held its fourth in-person meeting in Brussels hosted by the Lisbon Council. Halfway through the project, the FERMI partners seized this opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved and to lay the ground for FERMI’s Interim Review in May 2024. One of the gathering’s highlights was the demo of the FERMI platform, an integrated version of all key technology offerings and the project’s key output.

On 20 March 2024, the FERMI consortium policy partner “The Lisbon Council” organised the expert panel on "Empowering Young People, Protecting Democracy: How to Address Disinformation at School" in Brussels. The panel brought together distinguished experts from across the European Union to discuss the role of education in strengthening young people’s resilience to disinformation.

In an era defined by the pervasive influence of social media and the expansive realm of cyberspace, the proliferation of online disinformation has emerged as a critical concern. The ramifications extend far beyond disinformation, encompassing the facilitation of crime-related activities that pose significant threats to societal well-being and security. The FERMI Community Resilience and Socioeconomic Watch epitomises a proactive approach towards bolstering resilience and mitigating digital risks.

The webinar "A dive into the societal landscape of disinformation: Balancing between Law Enforcement and Fundamental Rights to Increase Digital Trust" offered an insightful exploration of the complexities of disinformation, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the challenges and its profound impacts on society.

In December 2023, the CERIS annual event took place in Brussels. These are the key takeaways from the gathering that addressed data availability issues and the opportunities and pitfalls of integrating civil society into EU-funded domestic security research.