Misinformation Is Warfare
Joan Donovan explores how misinformation had become a tactic in the Israel-Hamas war. Rather than flip on the TV when major news-worthy events happen, like Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent retaliation by Is.....»»
Misinformation really does spread like a virus, according to mathematical models drawn from epidemiology
We're increasingly aware of how misinformation can influence elections. About 73% of Americans report seeing misleading election news, and about half struggle to discern what is true or false......»»
Psychological inoculation: Combining two simple tools could combat election misinformation
A popular new strategy for combating misinformation doesn't by itself help people distinguish truth from falsehood but improves when paired with reminders to focus on accuracy, finds new Cornell University-led research supported by Google......»»
Q&A: Navigating the minefield of election disinformation
With the U.S. general election less than a week away, social media platforms and online spaces are saturated with a deluge of campaign ads and messaging. A concerning mix of disinformation and misinformation is woven into this content, making it a ch.....»»
Expert explains how misinformation thrives on emotional triggers—and why traditional fact-checking often misses the mark
A recent Gallup poll showed public trust in the electoral process—a cornerstone of American democracy—is eroding as the rampant spread of misinformation and organized disinformation campaigns breed dangerous skepticism among voters. Now, with ear.....»»
AI Regulation and the Challenges of Misinformation in the 2024 Presidential Election
The next U.S. president will have to contend with regulations around AI—and the electorate is already facing AI-generated misinformation......»»
These Are the Rumors and Misinformation to Watch for on Election Day
We can anticipate many false claims as we approach the U.S. presidential election—including untrue allegations of mass voting by noncitizens or of “suspicious vans” outside polling booths—and should quickly counter them, a mis.....»»
Annoyed Redditors tanking Google Search results illustrates perils of AI scrapers
"Spreading misinformation suddenly becomes a noble goal," Redditor says. A trend on Reddit that sees Londoners giving false restaurant recommendations in order to keep their favo.....»»
Misinformation and disinformation: Both prebunking and debunking work for fighting them, finds study
Misinformation, incorrect or false information shared unintentionally, can be extremely damaging. Its climate change-denying sort can make taking much-needed action against global warming more difficult. It can be even deadly, for example, if it enco.....»»
How to spot AI deepfakes that spread election misinformation
Generative AI systems, such as ChatGPT, are trained on large datasets to create written, visual or audio content in response to prompts. When fed real images, some algorithms can produce fake photos and videos known as deepfakes......»»
Why Disasters Like Hurricanes Milton and Helene Unleash So Much Misinformation
Falsehoods spread when uncertainties—and emotions—are high after hurricanes.....»»
Deleting your Facebook may increase your well-being but reduce your political knowledge
Amid widely shared concerns that social media makes people unhappy, spreads misinformation, and polarizes societies, researchers paid randomly selected participants to deactivate their Facebook accounts during an election, then compared them to a ran.....»»
Carefully exposing children to more misinformation can make them better fact-checkers, study suggests
In an era when online misinformation is seemingly everywhere and objective facts are often in dispute, UC Berkeley psychologists in a new study have presented a somewhat paradoxical partial solution: Expose young children to more misinformation onlin.....»»
Study: Conservative users" misinformation sharing drives higher suspension rates, not platform bias
A new paper, "Differences in misinformation sharing can lead to politically asymmetric sanctions," published today in Nature suggests that the higher quantity of social media policy enforcement (such as account suspensions) for conservative users cou.....»»
Online misinformation most likely to be believed by ideological extremists, study shows
Political observers have been troubled by the rise of online misinformation—a concern that has grown as we approach Election Day. However, while the spread of fake news may pose threats, a new study finds that its influence is not universal. Rather.....»»
Team debunks research showing Facebook"s news-feed algorithm curbs election misinformation
An interdisciplinary team of researchers led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst have published work in the journal Science calling into question the conclusions of a widely reported study—published in Science in 2023—finding the social pl.....»»
Taylor Swift cites AI deepfakes in endorsement for Kamala Harris
Taylor Swift on AI: "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth." Enlarge / A screenshot of Taylor Swift's Kamala Harris Instagram post, captured on September 11, 2024. (credit: Taylor Swift / Instagram).....»»
Saturday Citations: Teen seals photobomb research site; cell phones are safe; serotonin and emotional resilience
If you're not susceptible to urban myths and misinformation, there's a new study from the World Health Organization that will ease your 2010s-era anxieties about cell phones. There were a lot of other developments this week, including the return of B.....»»
Ukraine recap: Drone warfare brings new phase to battlefront
Like many people, I first encountered drones when they looked like toys, something fun to play with and be entertained by. Not long afterward, I was waiting for a boat on my commute to work, and a drone hovered overhead, not far above me, and with no.....»»
Deepfakes: Seeing is no longer believing
The threat of deepfakes lies not in the technology itself, but in people’s natural tendency to trust what they see. As a result, deepfakes don’t need to be highly advanced or convincing to effectively spread misinformation and disinformat.....»»
Chloroplast manipulation: A new strategy in pathogen warfare uncovered
A recent study has unveiled the sophisticated methods pathogens use to weaken plant defenses. It shows how a pathogen's effector protein targets the chloroplast protein StFC-II, increasing its levels in chloroplasts and reducing the plant's ability t.....»»