Canadians worried about government presenting itself as “authority” on truth

By Quinn Patrick, True North Wire

A focus group of Canadians told Canada’s cyber intelligence service to not stray too far into pushing an agenda and present itself as an authority on truth, when questioned about a media campaign to combat disinformation.

In a recent study conducted by Ekos Research Associates on behalf of the Communications Security Establishment, Canadians expressed reservations about the government’s approach to combatting disinformation.

The study, titled “Study on Online Disinformation Advertising Creative Testing (2023-2024),” aimed to gather insights to refine the CSE’s advertising campaign strategy.

CSE’s campaign seeks to educate Canadians about the nature of disinformation, its creators, and their motives. To do this, the agency deployed various ads directing individuals to a campaign landing page for further information on the subject.

The study, which cost taxpayers $45,192, organized eight online focus groups comprised of participants from various regions across Canada. These groups discussed different concepts proposed for the campaign and provided feedback on their suitability for the target audience.