20. July 2016 Sri Lanka

A TED, Rotary World Peace and Ashoka Fellow, Dr. Sanjana Hattotuwa’s doctoral research at the University of Otago examined the intersection of social media, political communication, propaganda and information disorders in Sri Lanka, as well as how the Christchurch massacre in March 2019 was represented on Twitter. The research on Christchurch was based on Aotearoa New Zealand’s first ever Data for Good grant by Twitter, with the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (NCPACS). He has written extensively about the nurture and nature of information disorders in Aotearoa New Zealand, and in March 2021 organised a conference on social media’s role in democracy, embracing a wide range of perspectives and speakers, including Nobel Peace Laureate Maria Ressa.

Since 2002, Dr. Hattotuwa has used, studied and advocated Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) to strengthen peace, human rights & democratic governance. He pioneered the use of social media for activism and citizen journalism in Sri Lanka, and started South Asia’s first Twitter and Facebook accounts for civic media and election monitoring, in 2007.

Specialising in and advising on social media communications strategy, digital security for journalists and human rights defenders, social media activism, online advocacy and grounded, mixed-methods social media research, Dr. Hattotuwa’s experience in studying, negotiating and developing policies against information disorders spans two-decades, and work in South Asia, South East Asia, North Africa, the United States, Europe and the Balkans. Since 2006, he has been a Special Advisor at the ICT4Peace Foundation, leading the work around technology for peacebuilding, humanitarian aid and peacekeeping.

He regularly gives input to leading social media companies on how they can strengthen platform integrity, better identify inauthentic behaviours, malevolent constellations, and prevent the abuse of products. After disturbing developments in Myanmar, Afghanistan and Ukraine, he also advises leading social companies on how to best deal with wartime ground conditions, do no harm, and navigate predominantly militarised contexts.