De Facto is a not simply an international project on disinformation in educational context. It is a game-changer, triggering a powerful shift in the mindset of those who think education as a vibrant and evolving ecosystem of multitudinous actors and intertwisted relations. De Facto’s impressive framework, based on cognitive science, combined with the practical and adaptable set of tools, are meant to empower and inspire educators and students alike in the more-than-ever compelling fight against mis- and disinformation.
To be a De Facto team member is an ultimate honour and privilege, which oblige me to spread and share the knowledge and skills gained in the process of elaborating the project’s intricate intellectual outputs. De Facto is a model of research design that brings closer science and education, of applicable and viable results and on top of all – of beautiful communication that gives the ultimate touch of meaning to any human activity. Thank you, ALL!

De Facto was a challenge for me both as a researcher and an educator. I had to put myself on the edge of the AI research on fake news, and this was a multiplier for my own activity. I had also the opportunity to reflect on fake news and the education process in the meanwhile. Nowadays, young people use social media to form their consciousness, and to become citizens in our society: misinformation can have consequences of paramount importance on them. As a consequence, being able to perform fact checking, and developing an analytic approach to select information sources, have to be considered fundamental education skills. De Facto gave me such awareness. I guess the project ameliorated me both as a researcher and as a teacher.

Before participating in the project I didn´t really know what to expect. However it was very interesting and valuable experience. It has helped me to understand the concept of misinformation, disinformation, fake news… – a real eye-opener. And Andy is such a wonderful presenter. I gained a lot of knowledge and practical strategies that will be beneficial to me and my students. Thank you.

De Facto was a unique project, and at so many levels. It had a steep, yet exciting learning curve and it changed my entire perspective in working with information, forming opinions, presenting arguments and debating.
I am now more aware, inquisitive, understanding and responsible – from getting informed, to forming opinions and expressing them. This has been a remarkable journey of exploration and I was lucky to have so many inspired and committed colleagues working alongside.

The number of information we are being exposed to everyday is incredible. Yet, how to be sure which ones are the trustworthy and which are the fake? The training showed plenty of fact-checking possibilities available to all of us but it is a pity that very few people know about them. So I believe it is crucial that education systems throughout the world will start teaching not only digital literacy but „information“ literacy as well. Where else to start than with our children? DeFacto project for me is one big surprise and eye-opener.

A huge number of electronic equipment providers in collaboration with social network sites create a various traps and manipulation tools which are (ab)used for misleading and influencing masses of people almost every day.
De Facto training inspired me how to create a new approaches of teaching in classroom with the most vulnerable, »easy buying« and unmotivated population. It’s necessarily to emphasise the importance of developing critical thinking based on practical examples, the assessment of the source (fact checking) and seeing a difference between facts and personal opinions.

Working on De Facto made me more sensitive to everything I read. More attentive to what I share and more motivated to share my experience – with family, friends and people I meet in life. I realised that there are no ‚random‘ choices, that everything we are attracted to, or ignore, has an explanation in cognitive science.
De Facto opened the door for me to something new, useful and boundless.