Ebiquity has partnered with The Global Disinformation Index (GDI) to help advertisers and their media agencies monitor inadvertent investments on media owners that publish harmful disinformation content, in order to avoid funding news websites that fuel disinformation for financial gains. This starts by cutting digital ad funding.
The Global Disinformation Index provides advertisers, ad tech companies and platforms with trusted, non-partisan and independent ratings to assess a site’s disinformation risks. These ratings have been integrated into the Responsible Media Investment solution, to make Brands aware of whether they are unwittingly funding disinformation and adversarial narratives across their programmatic buys.
Ebiquity clients have been able to measure their investment exposure against specific disinformation topics indexed and tracked by GDI, uncovering major pockets of unintended spend on harmful websites.
An example of a harmful disinformation topic is ‘climate change denial’, which de facto conflicts with many brands’ ambitions to invest their media budgets more responsibly and sustainably.
Francesca Leronni, Group Director of Responsible Media at Ebiquity Plc, said: “We witness the harm disinformation generates on society and the environment every day, from violent action against communities and democratic institutions, to climate change denial and vaccine hesitancy. Through their media spend, brands have the power to “vote” for a more trustworthy internet. And thanks to our partnership with GDI they now also have the tools to hold news outlets accountable”
Danny Rogers, Co-Founder and CTO at The Global Disinformation Index, said: “One of the most powerful ways to combat the spread of disinformation is by cutting profits to these toxic businesses. With this important partnership, digital advertisers have the critical information needed to protect their brand and help stop the dissemination of disinformation online.”
About the Global Disinformation Index
The Global Disinformation Index is a UK-based not-for-profit that operates on the three principles of neutrality, independence and transparency. Our vision is a world free from disinformation and its harms. Our mission is to catalyse industry and government to defund disinformation. We provide disinformation risk ratings of the world’s news media sites.
For more information, visit www.disinformationindex.org
