A group of students recently gathered in Helsinki to hear a lecture on a subject that is far from a staple in most community college curriculums. Addressing the Espoo Adult Education Centre, Jussi Toivanen worked his way through his PowerPoint presentation. A slide titled ‘Have you been hit by the Russian troll army?’ included a checklist of methods used to deceive readers on social media: image and video manipulations, half-truths, intimidation and false profiles. Another slide, featuring a diagram of a Twitter profile page, explained how to identify bots: look for stock photos, assess the volume of posts per day, check for inconsistent translations and a lack of personal information. CNN reports that the course is part of an anti-fake news initiative launched by Finland’s Government in 2014 – two years before Russia meddled in the US elections – aimed at teaching residents, students, journalists and politicians how to counter false information designed to sow division. The initiative is just one layer of a multi-pronged, cross-sector approach the country is taking to prepare citizens of all ages for the complex digital landscape of today and tomorrow. The report notes that the Nordic country, which shares a 1 300km border with Russia, is acutely aware of what’s at stake if it doesn’t.