Center for Informed Democracy and Social-cybersecurity (IDeaS Center)

The growth of social media and other information-sharing platforms has forever changed how we communicate and interact. While these platforms have improved our lives, they have also provided vehicles for sharing and amplifying disinformation, hate speech, and extremism. In this social-cyber environment, information warfare and propaganda have flourished. The use of social media to harm ranges from individuals using it for cyber-bullying, to extremist groups recruiting members, to states using it to encourage polarization and unrest. As more of our lives move online, we’re increasingly challenged to look beyond these messages to remain informed, thoughtful members of our communities and countries who are able to engage civilly with each other without being subjected to undue influence. The goal of the Center for IDeaS at Carnegie Mellon University is to enhance social-cybersecurity to preserve and support and informed democratic society. IDeaS will provide people with the knowledge and tools to overcome these challenges — preserving and supporting the citizenry — through research, education and community-building in these within social cybersystems. We must remain informed, thoughtful members of our communities and countries, despite online and informational challenges.