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Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics
In the heart of the nation's capital, the George Washington University Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics (IDDP) brings together top researchers from academic disciplines across GW's Columbian College.
IDDP works side-by-side with journalists from leading media outlets, advises and helps agenda set with policymakers in the U.S. and Europe and engages with a variety of organizations that have significant societal influence and reach.
What We Do
Our work is of vital importance in an age when media manipulation, fake accounts and malicious social media activities are undermining fundamental aspects of societal cohesion and democratic ideals. Abuse, harassment, hate speech and disinformation abound, with foreign and domestic actors alike taking advantage of key features of digital platforms to target vulnerable and marginalized members of society. IDDP endeavors to educate the public about these threats, and counter them with reliable information and sound solutions.
Research
Produce timely publications about the threat to democracy posed by digital propaganda and deception and contribute to academic journals with new scholarships.
Convenings
Bring together leading interdisciplinary researchers from around the world under one roof and organize events on new disinformation research.
Education
Collaborate with the Poynter Institute and its PolitiFact project to offer trainings on the misinformation landscape and how to correct false information.
Research Clusters
Investigations
Meaningful Open Source Indicators
Misinformation/
Disinformation Lab
Public Heath & Governance
Digital Democracy
IDDP in the News
X, formerly Twitter, to allow paid political advertising again
August 31, 2023
Presidential candidates now have a new place to try to win over voters: social media site X, formerly known as Twitter.
Pushing for Platform Transparency: An interview with IDDP Fellow, Brandon Silverman
August 25, 2023
We're excited to introduce Brandon Silverman, the latest fellow at the Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics (IDDP).
Trump tweets after Georgia arrest: Indictment spurs return to Twitter, now known as X
August 25, 2023
After more than three years, Donald Trump has returned to Twitter, now called X, to tweet his booking photo following his arrest in Georgia on 2020 election charges.
AI Firms Under Fire for Allegedly Infringing on Copyrights
August 23, 2023
New artificial intelligence tools that write human-like prose and create stunning images have taken the world by storm. But these awe-inspiring technologies are not creating something out of nothing; they're trained on lots and lots of data, some of which come from works under copyright protection.