2,000 Fact-Checkers from 80 Countries Gather at "Dialog about Fakes 4.0" Forum in Moscow

The “Dialog about Fakes 4.0” forum, held on September 22 at the National Centre Russia, drew a global crowd of 2,000 fact-checkers from 80 nations. Politicians, industry experts, and media professionals convened to discuss the critical challenge of countering false and misleading information.

Among the forum’s key developments were an address by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and an announcement by Vladimir Tabak, President of the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN), who unveiled plans to open the organization’s first international headquarters in Dubai, UAE — GFCN International. He attributed the launch of this global hub to the cross-border nature of disinformation and the existing legal vacuum surrounding information conflicts.

“While Russia certainly serves as the foundational base for this initiative, we position it as an international endeavor. We wanted to provide an additional hub for representatives from different countries, media organizations, and projects,” stated Vladimir Tabak, citing the borderless spread of fake news and the absence of clear regulatory frameworks governing information disputes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also emphasized the forum’s international reach during his opening address.

“We have experts here today representing not only the Global South and the East, but also a number of Western nations,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted.

Attendees included delegates from the United States, China, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, Slovakia, South Korea, Pakistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Indonesia, Nigeria, Egypt, Belgium, Tanzania, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, among others.

In 2026, the forum centered on several core themes: the outcomes of the Russian State Duma elections, election-integrity measures to counter disinformation during voting, and the broader fallout of fake news on politics, financial markets, and business. Discussions also touched upon the latest advancements in artificial intelligence and its emerging role in the arts.

A dedicated panel addressed online fraud targeting minors and examined how adolescents are increasingly drawn into cybercrime and digital delinquency. During the session, the autonomous nonprofit organization (ANPO) “Dialog Regions” presented research detailing financial scams targeting children, as well as youth adoption of AI-powered tools.

Background:

The forum was organized by ANPO “Dialog Regions” with the participation of the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN), co-founded by the TASS Russian News Agency and the New Media School.

Photo: ANPO “Dialog Regions”
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