In an era of democratic emergency, our epistemic security – the resilience of the UK’s information supply chains that our democracy depends on – is under threat.
Blaise Metreweli, Chief of MI6, supports this, claiming in a recent speech that “our world is more dangerous and contested now than it has been for decades.” Demos is convening leading thinkers to tackle these wide-ranging vulnerabilities threatening the information environment, we host the Epistemic Security Network (ESN) to do exactly that.
Within the ESN, Demos convenes the Information Crisis Coalition – a partnership between Full Fact, Transparency International, the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition and the Online Safety Act Network – which focuses specifically on strengthening resilience to information crises, including during election periods.
This briefing sets out the Coalition’s current recommendations on the upcoming Elections Bill and wider policy framework which can be used as an opportunity to safeguard future elections from epistemic risks, such as the spread of false or unreliable information and the harassment of MPs and candidates.