We have become accustomed to technologies advancing much faster than the social rules that govern their use. This applies not only to laws but also to commonly accepted ‘good manners’. With the widespread adoption of the Internet and, in particular, social networks, questions have arisen about what is permissible and what is not, what is polite and what is inappropriate, and even what is illegal.

It is difficult to imagine contemporary right-wing populism–and disinformation campaigns that accompany it–without anti-LGBT narratives. These are truly globalized in scope and come in various localized guises: from the anticolonial homophobia in Central and Western Africa, through Evangelical moral panic focused on healthcare for transgender people in the US, to the Kremlin’s all-time-favorite slogan of failing “gay Europe”. Despite small adjustments made for their diverse targeted audiences, they all seem to share core topics such as falling back to imagined “family values” (i.e. heternormative patriarchy), defending against foreign influence (e.g. secularized Western culture), and finally punishing the hidden enemy within (i.e. demonizing and persecuting LGBT+ communities and their allies).

It does not take a media expert to realize that disinformation is always one step away from becoming a hate campaign. Cherry-picked or distorted data and biased interpretations, and sheer lies are but a means to an end – manufacturing larger narratives with clear-cut divisions between good and evil, us and them.

To moderate, or not to moderate - who can answer me... Is it better to respond to disinformation spread in the online space, or is it better to let it be? Will I anger people who follow me more if I delete some comments from the discussion, or if people come into contact with hate and lies on my profile? Is there a right to express any opinion, or is it more the case that hate is not an opinion and does not belong in the public space? How do we choose which content is harmful? What steps can we take? And do we have to do it all ourselves?

Anti-homosexuality campaigns are common in post-communist Romania. What could only be portrayed under communism as capitalist decadence or imported immorality, appeared in the mid-1990s at the epicenter of the public sphere. The powerful comeback of the Orthodox Church, after decades of cohabitation with the totalitarian communist regime, explains the vigor and political spread of public campaigns aimed at perpetuating legislation criminalizing homosexuality.

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Disinformation about Roma and among Roma has become a visible problem in Czech society, especially in the summer of 2023, when tensions arose between some Roma and Ukrainians. Historically, however, it was the Roma who were frequent victims of disinformation, such as a rumor regarding their free access to swimming pools.

Within the Digital Activism Program conducted by TechSoup and its partners in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) since 2018, a pivotal activity focusing on supporting Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in being more resilient to disinformation has been underway. We believe at TechSoup that to bring about change, we must first diagnose the needs of the organizations we support and analyze the current socio-political situation in the countries where we operate. This belief is central to shaping the foundation for all future project activities.