Hackathon at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, France
Interview with Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
In an era where disinformation, algorithmic opacity, and online manipulation threaten the foundations of democracy, innovation is no longer optional — it’s essential. That was the driving force behind the Democracy’s Firewall Hackathon, a high-impact initiative organised by Kreativdistrikt for the Council of Europe.
Held on 20 June 2025 in Strasbourg, France, the event brought together the next generation of digital defenders to answer one big question:
How can we protect democracy in the digital age?
A Mission-Driven Hackathon
Over the course of an intensive day, 11 multidisciplinary teams from Albania, France, Georgia, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, and Serbia gathered at the Council of Europe headquarters — not only to compete for a €3,000 prize pool but to collaborate on bold, tangible solutions to some of the greatest digital threats facing democracy today.
The event ran in parallel with the Council of Europe’s Democratic Debates, reinforcing a shared commitment to dialogue, youth engagement, and democratic innovation.
The Four Challenges: A Strategic Lens
Teams selected one of four challenges, each targeting a critical point in the defence of democratic societies:
Expose
Malicious Infrastructure
Uncover and disrupt the digital architecture enabling manipulation — from bot farms to deepfake networks and coordinated disinformation campaigns.
Increase
Algorithmic
Transparency
Shed light on the opaque recommendation engines and content filters shaping public discourse.
Promote Reliable, Pluralistic
Information
Counter echo chambers and information deserts by elevating trustworthy content and promoting media literacy.
Strengthen Societal
Resilience
Empower citizens with the tools, knowledge, and critical thinking skills to resist manipulation and misinformation.
Ideas That Inspire Action
Solutions ranged from gamified civic education apps to real-time content credibility checkers powered by AI. The environment was fast-paced and collaborative, with teams combining tech, law, design, and social science perspectives. They were supported throughout by mentors with deep expertise in cybersecurity, journalism, digital rights, data ethics, and public policy.
“The event didn’t just produce prototypes — it produced conversations that matter.”
— Arturo Ortega, hackathon mentor
Powerful Support by Experts
Participants were guided and inspired by a diverse group of mentors who brought expertise in Artificial Intelligence, empathy and feasibility, legal Information, data ethics, and public policy. Their support began well before the hackathon day, during a guided warm-up phase that included three live online sessions.
These sessions were designed not only to prepare the teams technically but to equip them with clear criteria and frameworks for shaping their project ideas effectively. Thanks to this early engagement, participants were able to hit the ground running in Strasbourg, ready to collaborate, prototype, and pitch.
Throughout the event, mentors and moderators remained closely involved, helping teams sharpen their thinking, pressure-test their ideas, and navigate ethical and practical questions.
A Superb Jury Panel
The Dragon’s Den-style pitch competition was the grand finale — a live presentation of prototypes in front of a public audience and a prestigious jury.
Each team had 5 minutes to pitch and 2 minutes for Q&A, showcasing both the technical feasibility and democratic impact of their solutions.
The Jury Included:
- Alain Berset, Secretary General, Council of Europe
- Maja Zaric, Chair, Steering Committee on Media and Information Society
- George Papandreou, General Rapporteur on Democracy, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
- Sabina Cudic, Member of Parliament, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Sabine Cullmann, Lecturer, University of Strasbourg
- Alain Mielle, Head of Technological Innovation, Council of Europe
- Rares Voicu, President, European Youth Forum
Winners were selected based on innovation, feasibility, relevance, and impact. Mentor feedback played a key role in shaping the jury’s final decisions.
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Celebrating the Winners
Congratulations to “The Fact-Checking Foxes”!
Their winning project, (F)actually, was designed by Leonardo Zilli, Lucia Bertoldini, Maja-Magdalena Klein, and Shifana Sherin.
(F)actually is a gamified educational platform where users take on the role of fact-checkers, analysing news and social media content to build misinformation resilience. It provides instant feedback, contextual analysis, and legal/media literacy insights — all in a format designed for real-world impact and public awareness.
A companion dashboard monitors misinformation trends in real-time, offering insights to educators, journalists, and institutions.
Watch: Democracy’s Firewall — Highlights & Voices from the Winning Team and discover their journey from concept to victory.
Democracy’s Firewall Dragon’s Den: Full Pitch Session
Democracy’s Firewall was more than a competition. It was a statement of intent: that young people across Europe are ready to act, innovate, and build defences for democracy from the ground up.
From the collaborative energy of the workshops to the powerful ideas pitched on stage, this hackathon marked the beginning of a growing movement — one powered by civic imagination, digital tools, and a shared commitment to democratic values.
Watch all 11 teams present their solutions before the jury at the Council of Europe’s hemicycle.
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is Europe’s leading human rights organisation. Founded in 1949, it brings together 46 member states, working to uphold democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across the continent. Through legal standards, policy initiatives, and public engagement, the Council plays a key role in safeguarding democratic values in a rapidly changing world.
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