“Democracy’s Firewall” is the name of the event organised by the Council of Europe to bring together young innovators from all over Europe in Strasbourg for a “hackathon”, that is to say, a creative marathon, “to build tools, strategies, and campaigns that help combat disinformation and safeguard democratic values online”. Participants need to be between 18 and 30 years old; be developers, designers, policy thinkers, campaigners, and creatives, as well as passionate about digital democracy, civic tech, and online freedom of expression. Young people who meet these requirements are encouraged to possibly form multidisciplinary teams of up to 5 people and apply by 28 May. Selected teams will be invited to the final event in June where they will work on “solutions that tackle online threats to democracy — including misinformation, hate speech, algorithmic bias, and digital exclusion”. The aim is “to create a functional prototype or concept that can be developed further and shared across Europe”, for example AI-powered fact-checking tools, interactive campaigns for digital literacy, open-source platforms for civic participation, innovative ways to foster inclusive and informed online debate, and so on. The best project will receive a €3,000 prize. Winners will have the opportunity to get mentorship from leading experts in democracy, digital rights, and innovation, and a chance to showcase their solution to international institutions and civic networks. Applications must be submitted at democracysfirewall.com.