Digital Society

Helping policymakers identify and respond to technology’s challenges, enabling society to harness the benefits of the new information economy

Research, commentary, and events

Project
Assessing the impacts of digital government transformation in the EU
26 Jun 2020

A case study on the use of body worn cameras by police forces in the UK offers an example of how governments can potentially take advantage of emerging digital technologies to address systemic challenges.
Commentary
A Machine Learning Approach Could Help Counter Disinformation
25 Jun 2020

Disinformation has become a central feature of the COVID-19 crisis. This type of malign information and high-tech “deepfake” imagery poses a risk to democratic societies worldwide by increasing public mistrust in governments and public authorities. New research highlights new ways to detect and dispel disinformation online.
Project
Exploring the criminal use of Zcash and cryptocurrencies
06 May 2020

While most transactions made with virtual coins are legitimate, cryptocurrencies have also been used for criminal purposes. Researchers found no evidence of widespread illicit use of Zcash, but that may be because malicious users do not fully understand its operating model.
Commentary
COVID-19: The Questions Ahead for Future Travel and Transport
15 Apr 2020

COVID-19 could have lasting effects on future travel patterns. Future scenarios, a method for visualizing different possible futures, can help inform decisions in deeply uncertain situations and can be used to think about policies that are important for people's quality of life regardless of how the future unfolds.
Commentary
It Is More Important Than Ever for Employers to Look After Staff Health and Wellbeing
09 Apr 2020

COVID-19 will likely have a direct effect on the health and wellbeing of employees. While many employers responding to the COVID-19 crisis have understandably been concerned with business resilience, processes, and performance, it is important that they also continue to focus on the health and wellbeing of staff.
Commentary
How to Contain the Disinformation Virus
09 Apr 2020

Like COVID-19, disinformation spreads only if we help it spread. While we have all been asked to stay at home as responsible citizens to contain the virus, we should also feel responsible for making it harder for disinformation to spread.
Commentary
Our Actions Determine What We Read and See Online. Algorithms Are Only a Part of That Process
07 Feb 2020

As social media has increasingly become the main outlet for people to acquire news and opinion, there are concerns about the effect of algorithm-driven services on the spread of misleading information. But the issue doesn't merely lie with how social platforms use algorithms to deliver content.
Project
Measuring migration using big data
12 Dec 2019

Social media data may help decisionmakers to 'nowcast' migration flows and stocks of migrants. A team of researchers attempted to develop a method of measuring real-time mobility and migration. The results of the study were promising.
Project
How does the pharmaceutical industry reuse health data?
12 Nov 2019

Several important factors can support or hinder the reuse of pharmaceutical data in the EU, including the availability, interoperability and quality of data; data analytic skills and experience; and the presence of clear and uniform regulations.
Project
Tackling the challenges of algorithm-driven social media
30 Oct 2019

Improving consumers' media literacy could reduce their vulnerability to disinformation. Researchers propose a behavioural science experiment to encourage people to be more aware of their own online behaviour
Project
How technology may change services sectors
26 Jun 2019

Researchers explored how 'game-changing' tech like robotics, autonomous transport, blockchain, virtual and augmented reality, and wearable devices will impact the EU's services sectors, and their wider socio-economic implications.
Commentary
Japan Prepares for Olympic-Level Cybersecurity
03 Jun 2019

The world's attention will be fixed on Japan as it hosts the Rugby World Cup in September and the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Japan's cyber defenses will need to be strong enough to keep attackers out and resilient enough to restore systems should things go wrong.
Project
Benchmarking deployment of eHealth among European GPs
30 May 2019

RAND Europe and partners measured the use of ICT and eHealth applications by primary care physicians in the EU 28 Member States and Norway, compared the results with a 2013 study, and analysed the main drivers of change and factors that can enhance or inhibit the role and use of technologies within health care.
Project
Case studies provide lessons in oversight of emerging S&T
21 Mar 2019

Ten case studies examine science and technology oversight around the world. Based on these studies, researchers compiled a list of lessons for policymakers and stakeholders interested in encouraging and enabling emerging technology.
Commentary
ISIS's Social Media Use Poses a Threat to Stability in the Middle East and Africa
11 Dec 2018

The importance of social media in projecting violent extremist propaganda and recruiting foreign fighters is well documented. As ISIS attempts to regroup and recuperate, investigating its use of information and communication technologies could be important to understanding the group's plans to regain territorial control.