The battle over online disinformation is usually framed as a fight for truth. But it is also a fight over power.

As platforms tighten policies, algorithms quietly shape visibility and experts step in as arbiters of credibility, a deeper question emerges: are these systems protecting open discourse or controlling it?

In this episode of the Doha Debates Podcast, we explore the rise of digital censorship and the growing assumption that the public cannot be trusted to think critically without supervision. Can harmful falsehoods be reduced without eroding the right to freely exchange ideas? And who decides where the line between protection and control is drawn?

Experts join moderator Mohamed Hassan to debate how truth is defined, who gets to define it and what ethical responsibilities come with that authority.

💬 Join the conversation in the comments.

Featuring:

Renée DiResta: Author and associate research professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy

Glenn Greenwald: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, former constitutional lawyer and New York Times bestselling author

Siva Vaidhyanathan: Professor of Media Studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia

Helium 10’s CTO Tells How Hacking Our Tools Just Makes Us Better