Agência Lupa Launches LupaMundi: A Global Tool Tracking Disinformation Laws
In response to the growing menace of disinformation, Agência Lupa, based in Brazil, has unveiled a groundbreaking tool named LupaMundi. This interactive map serves as a comprehensive resource tracking national and supranational laws worldwide that aim to combat online disinformation.
Natália Leal, the executive director of Agência Lupa, highlighted the significance of observing global efforts in understanding and combating disinformation. Leal emphasized that while their focus is on Brazil, learning from global experiences is crucial in generating new solutions to address the challenges posed by misinformation.
“We need to learn from the work people are doing across the world,” she said during a recent ICFJ Global Crisis Reporting Forum session. “Lupa is focused on Brazil, but if you don’t look to other experiences [around the globe], it is impossible to have new answers for the same questions.”
LupaMundi encompasses data from 118 of the 193 U.N. member states and an additional 14 countries with draft disinformation laws. The tool provides intricate insights into these legislations, offering references for data sources to encourage users to conduct fact-checks independently.
This user-friendly platform allows filtering of information based on countries with specific or non-specific disinformation laws or those without any such legislation. Users can access legislation related to various topics, including content moderation, cybercrime, COVID-19, defamation, and internet regulation, among others.
Moreover, the data can be presented in both map and list formats, providing an option to download it as a spreadsheet, facilitating deeper analysis for researchers and journalists.
Currently available in English and Portuguese, the creators aim to expand LupaMundi's reach by translating it into other languages such as French, Arabic, and Spanish in the future.
Recognizing the dynamic nature of such legislation, the team encourages user feedback for updates or corrections, envisioning continual improvement and accuracy in their data.
The idea for LupaMundi was conceived during a training session within ICFJ’s Disarming Disinformation program by journalist Nathália Afonso and subsequently developed in collaboration with the newsroom's product team and partner organizations with the support of ICFJ, the Scripps Howard Fund, and the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
The overarching goal behind LupaMundi is to facilitate comprehensive research, enabling users to identify patterns in disinformation legislation and its intersections with governance and politics across different nations.
Furthermore, Agência Lupa aims to foster discussions among experts, encouraging critical analysis of disinformation laws while steering away from categorizing them as solely "good" or "bad." They underscore the importance of presenting factual data and leaving assessments to the experts, emphasizing that legislation alone might not be the ultimate solution to combat misinformation.
