Camila Vallejo Addresses Global Democracy Summit in Barcelona: «Disinformation Poses a Severe Threat to Democracy… Digital Platforms Are Not Neutral»

Original article: Camila Vallejo en cumbre progresista de Barcelona: “La desinformación es una amenaza grave para la democracia (…)  las plataformas digitales no son neutrales”

Global Summit in Barcelona: Vallejo Warns Disinformation Constitutes «A Much More Serious and Concerning Threat to Democracies»

Barcelona Hosts the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy, a forum initiated in 2024 by Brazil and Spain. Notable attendees include the presidents of Colombia, South Africa, Uruguay, and Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum—marking her first visit to Europe since taking office in October 2024—alongside the President of the European Council, António Costa, and former Chilean President Gabriel Boric, who organized a similar event last year.

The meeting, which has reportedly brought Pedro Sánchez together with leaders from 15 countries, aims to bolster democratic systems through multilateralism, digital governance, and the fight against inequality. Within this framework, former spokesperson for Gabriel Boric’s government, Camila Vallejo, made a significant intervention.

Vallejo noted that information circulates today without borders, more rapidly and extensively, but cautioned that “just as information travels fast, so does disinformation.” She emphasized that the latter is “a much more severe and concerning threat to democracies” as it influences political decisions (such as voting), self-vaccination, economic choices, markets, investment, country risk, and even personal safety, highlighting the use of ‘deepfakes’ to scam the elderly.

The former spokesperson concluded that the public is increasingly aware of the magnitude of this phenomenon and stressed, “this is not a neutral issue. The digital platforms through which disinformation spreads are not neutral.” At the end of her talk, viewers were invited to watch the video of her intervention shared by El Ciudadano.

Watch the video (shared by El Ciudadano)

It is worth noting that former government spokesperson Camila Vallejo shared the panel with Argentine economist Cecilia Rikap, an associate professor of Economics and researcher at the Institute of Innovation and Public Policies at University College London, England, and Brazilian academic Nina Santos, a researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology for Digital Democracy in Brazil and the Center for Analysis and Interdisciplinary Research on Media at the University of Paris-Panthéon-Assas.