Disinformation cannot be fully eliminated — but its impact on democratic discourse and security can be limited. In Europe, countermeasures must meet a second benchmark: they must be effective without undermining democratic principles, the rule of law, or data protection requirements.

One powerful tool remains consistently available: transparency.

Transparency can serve as a pragmatic defense mechanism against information manipulation — by making actors, networks, infrastructures, narratives, and financial incentives visible. But operationalising transparency requires more than technical tools: it depends on cross-domain perspectives and strong interfaces between research, OSINT, and investigative journalism.

This session brings together experts across these domains to discuss:

• How transparency can expose actors, narratives, networks, infrastructure, and financing behind influence operations

• Which tools, methodologies, and data infrastructures enable effective detection and analysis

• Roles, responsibilities and interfaces between research, OSINT, journalism, public authorities, platforms and civil society