Baku Hosts Public Discussions on Local and Global Disinformation Threats

In a significant move to address growing concerns about misinformation, a public forum titled “Disinformation: the most serious threat globally and in the reality of Azerbaijan” was held in Baku this week, bringing together media regulators, civil society representatives, and information security experts.

The event, organized by the Azerbaijan National NGO Forum in collaboration with the Media Development Agency and the Press Council, highlighted the escalating challenges of false information in the digital age and its potential impact on Azerbaijan’s social fabric and democratic institutions.

Ramil Iskandarli, Chairman of the NGO Forum, emphasized the systemic nature of today’s disinformation threats, noting they extend far beyond mere information distortion. “Disinformation has evolved into a comprehensive threat targeting not just the information sphere, but also public stability, state-citizen relations, and democratic institutions,” Iskandarli said. He called for heightened vigilance from civil society organizations, urging them to “expose false information promptly and act as a barrier against its dissemination.”

The discussion comes amid growing global concern about the proliferation of false information through digital channels, particularly as artificial intelligence technologies make fabricated content increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect.

Natig Mammadli, Deputy Executive Director of the Media Development Agency, pointed to social media platforms as the primary vectors for disinformation campaigns. He assured attendees that “the Azerbaijani state has strong political will to combat all forms of disinformation,” while acknowledging that government action alone is insufficient. “Public vigilance, media literacy, and a high intellectual level of society are also essential in this process,” Mammadli added.

Press Council Chairman Rashad Majid focused on the role of professional journalism standards as a bulwark against false information. He emphasized the importance of the Code of Ethics for Azerbaijani Journalists, suggesting that adherence to ethical standards not only protects media credibility but also “serves as a positive example for social media activists.”

The forum featured several specialized sessions addressing different dimensions of the disinformation challenge. Mushfig Alasgarli, who leads the Support for Innovative Initiatives in the Media Public Union, warned about emerging risks posed by artificial intelligence technologies. His session, “Impact of AI-generated fake images, videos, and bot networks on public opinion,” highlighted how deepfake technology and automated disinformation campaigns represent a new frontier in information manipulation.

The intersection of disinformation with regional dynamics was explored in a session led by Azer Allahveranov, an MP and Secretary General of the NGO Platform of Turkic States. Allahveranov emphasized that coordinated information security strategies are becoming a matter of “strategic importance for the Turkic world,” suggesting regional cooperation may be necessary to combat cross-border disinformation campaigns.

Media literacy initiatives received significant attention during the forum. Umud Rahimoghlu, Head of the International Eurasia Press Fund, and Jasarat Huseynzada, Chairman of the Support for Information and Social Initiatives Public Union, discussed the critical role of NGOs in building public resilience against false information. Their session explored practical mechanisms for enhancing citizens’ ability to critically evaluate information, particularly on social media platforms where traditional editorial gatekeeping is absent.

The global dimension of disinformation was addressed by Fuad Karimli, a representative of the Global South NGO Platform Secretariat, who detailed the particularly devastating consequences of disinformation campaigns in developing nations, where media literacy rates may be lower and institutional safeguards weaker.

The Baku forum represents one of the most comprehensive public discussions of disinformation in Azerbaijan to date, reflecting growing recognition that information integrity is becoming a cornerstone of national security and democratic stability in the digital age. As technologies evolve and information spaces become increasingly complex, such multi-stakeholder dialogues may prove essential in developing effective countermeasures against the spread of false information.