The Business Council for Democracy (BC4D) is a joint initiative from the Hertie Foundation, Institute for Strategic Dialogue and Robert Bosch Foundation designed to deliver tailored interventions in workplaces across Germany in partnership with private and public employers.52 The first national programme of its kind, BC4D enables employers to embed the protection of democracy as part of their corporate culture, upskilling personnel with eight 60-minute sessions designed to develop better digital hygiene and the awareness and skills to identify and address issues such as online hate, conspiracy narratives and mis- and disinformation. It is specifically designed to create an open forum for debate, combining expert-led workshops, interactive modules and facilitated discussions led by specialists. BC4D not only provides employees with the skills and tools necessary to protect themselves, their families and their workplace environment from digital harms, it also empowers them to become ambassadors for a healthy democratic (online) discourse. In doing so, it seeks to foster more inclusive and successful workplace cultures and extend those outcomes beyond the professional domain. Socio-ecological level The BC4D programme delivers impact at the institutional level of the model, although it touches on other levels due to the knowledge gained potentially impacting other aspects. For employees taking part, the modules raise critical awareness and embed skills and tools necessary to protect themselves from digital harm – including how to critically assess information, how to recognize the common tropes of violent extremist rhetoric and targeted hate speech and how to respond to online harm when encountered in their everyday browsing. Participants also become force-multipliers in their workplace environment and outside. At the institutional level, BC4D recognizes the privileged access and sustained relationship that employers have with their staff. As shown by Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer, businesses remain the most trusted intuitions and, despite all-round declining trust, 75% of respondents still trust their employers to do what is right.53 Delivering activity for adults is a notorious challenge, especially in relation to MIL – beyond formal education, the points of entry for engagement become more limited, less unified and harder to develop into long-term partnerships. This programme leverages the unique environment of the workplace, in which people from often diverse backgrounds need to collaborate and mitigate conflict in service of common goals. The case for employer engagement in tackling online harms is grounded in three key imperatives: –Legal: As remote work and digital service delivery expand, employers must extend their duty of care to digital spaces. German employment law requires safe, inclusive workplaces across protected characteristics such as race, gender and religion. That includes protecting staff from online risks such as hate speech, harassment, doxxing, conspiracy theories and extremist narratives – including when these appear on internal office platforms. Fulfilling this mandate means investing in staff training, awareness and clear reporting pathways to address digital harms effectively. –Moral: Most employers seek to foster a fair, respectful and inclusive work environment. Investing in initiatives such as BC4D supports employee well-being and reduces stress, discrimination and division. It is also a powerful ethical stance, as the workplace is one of the most direct access points for adults to learn about digital safety. Employers have a role in shaping norms of dignity, mutual respect and cohesion that extend beyond professional tasks. –Business-oriented: Consumers increasingly judge companies based on values as much as products, prompting a rise in “triple bottom line” models. Today’s leading brands incorporate themes of justice and inclusion into their public messaging, responding to demand from both the market and potential hires. Taking a stand against disinformation and online hate builds trust, strengthens reputation and makes the workplace more appealing – especially to younger, purpose-driven talent. A proactive stance on digital safety sets the BC4D network apart in both mission and identity. Disinformation life cycle level BC4D touches upon many stages of the life cycle, but in particular consumption and post- consumption. For consumption, modules expose participants to features and vulnerabilities in the digital sphere that may incentivize or exacerbate harm – such as algorithmic recommender systems, echo chamber effects, monetization of content, micro-targeting and other ad-based platform design. Armed with this knowledge and practical skills, those graduating from BC4D should be more attuned to the benefits and pitfalls of a “personalized web” and how they can diversify their media diet. Finally, BC4D recognizes that, even with healthier habits, participants are still likely to encounter certain online harms and must be equipped to respond. The programme 6.5 Employer-based adult digital literacy Rethinking Media Literacy: A New Ecosystem Model for Information Integrity 32

Rethinking Media Literacy 2025