Türkiye is among the countries most exposed to fake news as the digitalization process continues to accelerate the spread of disinformation, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Friday.
"Türkiye is one of the countries most exposed to fake news in the world due to its strategic location, the original policies it pursues and its principled stance on regional and global issues," Erdoğan said in a video message addressing the Stratcom Summit 2022.
The two-day summit started in Istanbul on Friday to address global topics in the field of strategic communication. Gathering under the theme of "Strategic Communication in the Age of Uncertainty," the platform features 52 speakers from more than 24 countries and a distinguished audience of over 3,000 people.
Erdoğan said great transformations are taking place through digitalization when it comes to communication tools and news sources, adding that information pollution and the spread of disinformation are two of the most marked challenges of the current period.
The president stressed that digital channels are being used more frequently as a psychological tool in inter-state tensions and competitions.
"The hypocrisy during our just struggle against bloody terrorist organizations, especially Deash, FETÖ and the PKK, has repeatedly revealed this striking truth.
"Lastly, the language of some international press and media organizations that we witnessed after the terrorist act on Istiklal Street almost played into the hands of the perpetrators," he added.
Erdoğan said a new understanding of truth-oriented communication is needed.
On Nov. 13, the PKK/YPG terrorist group carried out a terrorist attack on Istanbul's crowded Istiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured.
Disinformation threatens global peace
In the age of digitalization, the truth crisis emerges as a threat to global peace and stability, Türkiye's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also said.
"The misuse of new technologies is today not only an issue for the security of individuals, societies, and states, but also a security issue in a global context.
"Systematic disinformation activities, which are constantly reproduced, especially through new media and traditional media, threaten global peace and stability," Altun said at the opening of the Stratcom Summit 2022 in Istanbul.
"Today, we need to fight against the threats we are exposed to through new media technologies, from human rights to national security, from digital bullying to hate speech, from terrorist propaganda to systematic disinformation movements, from algorithmic dictatorship to digital fascism," Altun said.
He stressed that the crisis of truth reveals the importance of institutionalization and cooperation of strategic communication at the national and international levels.
In the international arena, Türkiye strives to use strategic communication as a tool for managing crises and uncertainties, and to expand international cooperation in this field, Altun said.
Türkiye is hosting the Stratcom Summit 2022, an international platform addressing global topics in the field of strategic communication, on Dec. 2-3 in Istanbul. Topics to be discussed at the summit included the fight against disinformation, digitalization and public communication.
On the first day of the summit, the panels "Strategic Communication for Resilience in a Changing World," "Reimagining the World with Data; More Effective Citizen Communication: Data and Insights," "Cyber Front in Traditional Wars" and "Traditional Media in the Age of Post-Truth" will be held.
"Building a Globally Responsive Technological Society," "Towards a More Effective Government Communication," "Why OSINT (open-source intelligence) is So Popular?," "Strategic Communication as a Stabilizing Force in Conflict Resolution," "The Role of Intelligence in the Fight Against Terrorism," "Capacity Building in Public Communication to Cope with Global Uncertainties," "2022 Search and Watch Trends on Google and YouTube," "Combating Extremism and Hate Speech" and "Social Network Map of Türkiye" panels will be held on the second day of the summit.