Fractured reality – How democracy can win the global struggle over the information space

In an era of a global struggle to control the information space, this report offers critical insights into the fracturing of perceived realities, the rise of the ”fantasy-industrial complex”, and the systemic risks posed by the attention economy. It exposes how platforms algorithmically prioritise engagement over accuracy, reinforcing ideological echo chambers and amplifying mis- and disinformation that erode democratic resilience.  

The report highlights how structural incentives and foreign control of the most important players in the information space undermine information integrity, collective knowledge and civic discourse.  

In response, the report presents a number of recommendations from fostering alternative public spaces and crowd-sourced knowledge systems to reforming business models, restoring user agency, and advancing EU digital sovereignty through decentralised infrastructure. 

In the report, the authors also undertook a joint survey with the International Panel on Information Environments with over 200 European experts on information integrity and disinformation on their views of the most urgent actions to preserve democratic information spaces.  

Read the Report here   

Available in multiple languages

The original report was published in English in April 2026. Given the strong interest in its findings and their importance for democracy in the EU and beyond, we wanted to make the report available in other languages as soon as possible. It has now been translated into French and German, with more languages, including Polish and Spanish, to follow soon. Please click the button below to access the available versions.

Download report in your language

 

Insights

The insights in the report are organised along three main layers, treated in the three main chapters of the report: