Figure of the Week: 8,000

Italy is launching a new experiment to train students how to recognise disinformation online. The initiative kicks off on October 31 in 8,000 high schools across the country.

The project was developed in cooperation with top digital companies, including Facebook.

Laura Boldrini, the president of Italy’s lower house of parliament, says the goal is to give children “the possibility to defend themselves from lies.”

“Fake news drips drops of poison into our daily web diet,” says Boldrini, who spearheaded the project with the Italian Ministry of Education. “We end up infected without even realizing it.”