The press service of the event organizer ANO Dialogue Zones announced that experts would convene at the Dialogue on Fraud forum in Moscow to examine how counterfeit goods affect every layer of society.
Dialog Regions ANO noted that in early November 2023 more than 11 million fake copies were identified within the Russian segment of the internet. The organization emphasized the need to align the efforts of researchers, media outlets and authorities for ongoing, systematic work to debunk fraudulent content. The Dialogue on Fraud forum will center on exactly this coordinated approach.
The forum’s program will tackle how unreliable information shapes different parts of society, how information countermeasures can be implemented, the emergence of a fact‑checking market, and the ongoing fight against deepfakes. International guests are anticipated to participate.
According to Tikhon Makarov, Advisor to the General Director of ANO Dialogue Zones, society faces unprecedented information pressure today and there is a clear demand for strategies to counter it.
He noted that in 2021 there were about 1.5 million fake links. The team projects the number of fake copies to reach 12.5 million by year’s end and to climb to 15 million in 2024. The trend is rising, and so is the impact of these fakes, though the statement cautioned that the full threat has not yet been defined.
Makarov described the forum’s aim as the creation of a think‑tank environment with the involvement of federal officials, media, business leaders and subject experts.
“This setup will not only map out the challenges within the media space but also facilitate experience sharing between business and government, help develop tools to counter frauds, and move toward building a robust verification community,” he added.
Experts from the organization noted that Russian men are about 10 percent more likely to encounter unverified information than women.
The discussion highlighted that many frauds are tied to topics around special military operations and partial mobilization. Men tend to engage more with fake material connected to political content. Female audiences, on the other hand, are more exposed to unreliable information regarding health care, socially significant events, social protection, and information technology.