Author: Sonya Hreida
February 20, 2026
On February 20, SMUHA in Ivano-Frankivsk hosted a training session titled “Media Literacy and Digital Security” for people with disabilities, internally displaced persons, and seniors. Participants learned how to distinguish between news generated by artificial intelligence and how to avoid becoming victims of online financial fraud.
“Galka” reports on the event.
The event was organized by the public association “League of the Strong” as part of the “Empower Ukraine” project. As coordinator, Natalia noted, the choice of topic was dictated by the requests of the association’s beneficiaries themselves.
“Our beneficiaries often ask about messages regarding assistance that they see on social media. People don’t know whether to follow the links. That’s why we invited an expert to help them be more knowledgeable and not get confused,” Natalia explains.
The event’s trainer, PhD and lecturer at KNUVS (Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University), Mariana Dereniuk, said that today the greatest threat is content created by artificial intelligence.
“The most dangerous things right now are photos and videos generated by AI, as well as sensational headlines. Deepfakes and completely fabricated news stories are appearing, backed up by realistic images. This has a strong impact on people’s emotional state and perception of reality,” notes Mariana Dereniuk.
The expert gave three basic tips for verifying information:
- Always look for the source of the news.
- Analyze the link (is it suspicious or fake, imitating a well-known resource?).
- Pay attention to identity and visual details, which manipulators often use to exert pressure.
The audience included not only vulnerable people, but also social workers. Maria Baran, a social work specialist at the Lublin Village Council, says that she needs this knowledge for her daily professional activities.
“I work with people with disabilities, and we often encounter fake news. Even among my loved ones, there have been cases where people have been misled by disinformation. This is my first training of this kind, and I plan to use this knowledge to advise our clients,” says Maria Baran.