Disinformation on Private Messaging Platforms Requires New Regulatory Approach

For more than a decade, policymakers have focused significant attention on the harms of open social media platforms. Meanwhile, some of the most effective disinformation campaigns today are unfolding elsewhere: inside private messaging platforms.

Evidence from recent elections and crises makes this clear. During Brazil’s 2024 municipal elections, manipulated political content circulated widely through WhatsApp groups. In Ukraine as explained by its authorities during meetings, Telegram has functioned simultaneously as a lifeline for emergency communication and a conduit for Russian disinformation during wartime. Similar dynamics have been documented in Lebanon and elsewhere. Yet despite these realities, private messaging platforms remain only partially addressed by existing regulatory frameworks.

A new report by the Forum on Information and Democracy examines why this gap persists and proposes a new approach to governing information integrity on private messaging platforms. The report is the culmination of a year-long process co-chaired by the governments of Luxembourg and Ukraine and supported by the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, bringing together public authorities, civil society organizations, and researchers.