Sofia Information Integrity Forum 2025: Safeguarding Truth in the Digital Age

From 5 to 7 November, the GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” will host the Sofia Information Integrity Forum 2025 – an international event bringing together leading researchers, analysts, and experts from various fields to discuss how technology, policy, and scientific approaches can strengthen trust in information and counter manipulation in the digital environment. The forum is organized by the Foundation for Humanities and Social Studies – Sofia, the Center for the Study of Democracy, the GATE Institute, Identrics, Graphwise, and Sensika.

Among this year’s speakers are prominent names such as Prof. Stephan Lewandowsky, cognitive psychologist and author of key studies on the effects of disinformation; Saman Nazari, Chief Analyst at Alliance4Europe, specializing in Chinese and Russian influence operations; Dr. Neville Bolt, Director of the Sympodium Institute for Strategic Communications and Editor-in-Chief of NATO’s academic journal Defence Strategic Communications; Jānis Karlsbergs, Deputy Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga; and Inês de Matos Pinto, Legal and Policy Advisor at the European Commission with a focus on digital media policies and user protection.

The forum’s program combines diverse perspectives on disinformation processes – from strategic policymaking and analyses of authoritarian influence to innovative technological solutions based on artificial intelligence. Key topics include resilience to foreign influence, the analysis of information operations, and the development of media literacy across society. The aim is to outline realistic pathways for cooperation between academia, institutions, technology companies, and civil organizations.