Disinformation in New and Old Media in the XXI Century

Roberto Mastroianni is since 2000 a Full Professor of European Union Law at the Law School of the University of Naples Federico II (Italy) and former Judge of the Court of Justice of the EU (General Court, from September 2019 to September 2025). He also teaches at the University of Luxembourg, LLM Programs. Before his appointment at the CJEU as an attorney specializing in EU law and media law, he argued several cases before the same Court, the ECHR and national Courts. He graduated in Law at the University of Florence, Italy (1987), and holds a PhD in European Law from the University of Bologna (1991) as well as an LL.M. from the Penn State/Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle (PA), USA (1992). He specialized in International Copyright Law and European Media Law at the Universities of Geneva, Amsterdam and New York (NYLS). Former Researcher of International Law at the University of Florence (1992–1997), he served as Referendaire at the European Court of Justice (ECJ), in the Cabinets of Advocate General Giuseppe Tesauro and Antonio Saggio (1997–2000). He is the author of two handbooks on EU institutional and procedural law, several monographs and articles in European Law, Media Law and International Law, and has contributed to the publications of the Council of Europe's European Audiovisual Observatory and to research projects of the European institutions in the area of media law.Claudia Massa is Tenure Track Assistant Professor of European Union Law at the Law School of the University of Naples Federico II, where she teaches European Union Law and EU Media Law. She graduated in Law at the University of Naples Federico II (2014) and obtained an LL.M. in European Law from the Université de Paris II Panthéon-Assas (2015) and a Ph.D. (cum laude) in Economic Law from the University of Naples Federico II (2019). She followed specializing courses in European Union Law at the European University Institute, King's College London and University of Naples Federico II. She has been an intern at the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Italian Antitrust Authority and the Department for European Policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Italian State. She is the author of a monograph and several articles in European Law and Media Law. She received the prize for the best scientific journal article in European Union Law published in 2021 from the Italian Association of European Union Law Scholars (AISDUE). She obtained the National qualification to practice as Associate Professor of European Union Law (2024-2035).

• An Introduction.- PART I Disinformation and propaganda in times of elections.- Regulation of Social Media Disinformation.- How seriously should be taken disinformation? Constitutional and policy dilemmas in a comparative perspective.- A critique of European attempts to regulate online disinformation.- How to regulate online political advertising to ensure democratic electoral processes? Effectiveness, differences and influences of the EU and US measures.- Fighting disinformation and balancing free speech: a comparative and supranational outlook.- A Cautionary Tale for the European Union: The Stigmatization of Dissenting Voices through Foreign Agent Laws.- PART II Disinformation and propaganda in times of war.- Possibilities and Limits of Regulating Disinformation and Propaganda in Hybrid Warfare.- Beyond Propaganda – Hybrid War and Weaponization of Rights.- The Role of the European Court of Justice in Shaping the Boundaries of Free Speech: The Legality of EU Restrictive Measures from Kiselev to RT France.- Media Sanctions as a New Regulations Instrument in Europe.- The international regulation of the propaganda for war: some implications concerning the armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.- Disinformation in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence.- Conclusion.