If you haven’t heard the term “fake news” yet, please come out from under that rock and join the rest of us. As for the rest, you will no doubt be aware that fake news has been linked to extremist politics, social division, mob violence, and crime.
As writers, we know the power of words. That’s why I’m sharing some interesting news on fake news and the moves against it, courtesy of Mike Elgan and Computer World.
Who’s to blame?
Old people. No, seriously. A new study found that Facebook users over the age of 65 are far more likely to share fake news than younger users. The reasons for this include a lack of digital media literacy by people who didn’t grow up with the internet and age-related cognitive decline.
China’s WeChat found similar results on that network and also concluded that country folk are more likely to share fake news than city slickers.
Where does fake news come from?
As Mike points out, fake news isn’t the same as disagreeable opinions, bad reporting, erroneous journalism or divisive speech.
The Russian government has become the poster child for political misinformation and disinformation because of the mountains of (real) news reports about its role in fake news leading up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. More recent reports show Russian efforts to spread fake news not only in the U.S. but in many countries around the world. Some of that fake news seeks to debunk even the idea that Russia spreads fake news.
But fake news is mostly spread for profit. Fake news attracts eyeballs, which in turn sells advertising. It’s a growing industry around the world. For example, North Macedonian fake-news creators are often middle-aged and work as families. It’s a growing type of family business there.
What can be done?
As the post’s title suggests, plenty can be done to fight fake news. Most major Internet companies have taken notice and are trying out different strategies.
WhatsApp, which has 1.5 billion users, has a big fake news problem. For example, fake news about child abductions on WhatsApp in India has been blamed for driving mob lynchings. But curbing fake news on WhatsApp isn’t easy: messages use an end-to-end encryption service, so the company has no access to the content shared. That’s why WhatsApp this week announced a new limitation on forwarding. Users worldwide can now forward any specific message just five times. The aim is to slow down the viral spreading of misinformation on the network.
Facebook recently removed accounts, pages, groups and Instagram profiles connected to the Russian state-owned Sputnik news and disinformation network. After the accounts built large audiences by posting legitimate news, they started adding Russian disinformation from Sputnik.
Twitter is testing an icon designed to label tweets that start a thread. Called an “Original Tweeter” icon, the label is intended to notify users that a fake account impersonating the original tweeter during a conversation thread is illegitimate.
China’s WeChat, which is owned by Tencent and has more than a billion users, recently partnered with 774 third-party organizations to provide users with more than 4,000 articles that debunk fake news reports. WeChat also posts a top-ten list of the most popular false rumors. It flags fake news articles. It also bans content and blocks links on the service.
Microsoft
Microsoft added new features to its Edge browser that integrate a third-party, anti-disinformation tool called NewsGuard. An extension of Microsoft’s Defending Democracy program, NewsGuard uses a five-point color system to indicate the quality of the source. A green check means that the news source upholds “basic standards of accuracy and accountability.” A red exclamation point means it’s a purveyor of fake or unreliable news. Clicking on the badge reveals basic information about the news source.
NewsGuard browser extensions also exist for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, and all of them show ratings on Facebook and Twitter, along with search results on Google, Bing, and other sites.
1984?
This sounds great but the potential for abuse is great.
The Russian government, widely considered the largest and most sophisticated state sponsor of fake news and disinformation, itself passed a bill to ban what it called fake news this month. The new law, which punishes violators with fines or prison, clusters together fake news and any “disrespect” of government leaders or state symbols.
I’m sure nothing can go wrong there.
And lumped into its campaign against fake news, China’s WeChat helps the government censor political and other banned speech and represses links to competitive social services, according to critics and competitors.
You can find out more about the efforts to stamp out fake news on Mike Elgan’s original post. For more information on the extent of Chinese information warfare be sure to read this excellent post.
Charles Yallowitz said:
I envy those who exist under a rock. This fake news thing has become a global mess. Partially because people seem to use the term for things that they simply don’t like. It muddies the waters and alters the influence of the term. Great final point too. The fight against fake news can open the door for censorship and social control by governments. Have to wonder if that’s part of their plan too. Create an emergency in order to ‘fix’ it with overkill.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I’m continuing with a couple of posts on privacy, so stay tuned 🙂
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Charles Yallowitz said:
I’m all ears . . . eyes?
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The Story Reading Ape said:
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog.
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kimwrtr said:
Absolutely correct. I’m not quite 65 but some of my older cousins (over 65) are always forwarding me Fake News. I’m always replying to them. “Sorry, this is Fake News.” and sending them the link to prove it. I keep hoping they’ll check the facts before forwarding it on to others, but they don’t seem to learn from these mistakes. I’ll admit before I knew better, I would pass stuff without checking it, but after a couple of times of getting called on it, I decided to check my facts first and 9 times out of 10 it’s fake.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
You’re a star–and an exception 🙂
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kimwrtr said:
Reblogged this on Kim's Musings.
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rijanjks said:
Wow! Interesting facts! Thanks, Nicholas!
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post on privacy 🙂
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Phillip T Stephens said:
Old people? Yes, but you also have to factor in education, literacy levels, tech savvy and geographical location. Older Fundamentalists (but not all) are more likely to accept fake news than members of liturgical churches. But to claim age as the top factor alone is a like blindly forwarding (dare I say it?) fake news.
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franklparker said:
I agree. I’m 77 and always check the source before passing anything on. And I call out those who pass fake news to me.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Oh, absolutely. I’m sure that’s the case with many older people. However, what the article refers to is a study that found that age is one of the most important parameters when it comes to sharing fake news; not that every older person is a fake news factory. For more information, you can check out the study for yourself in the original article.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Lol–I agree that you have to factor in a number of other parameters. But the original post actually has the link to that study, so you decide for yourself 🙂
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Jacqui Murray said:
Interesting read, Nick. I just wrote about this too–on an ezine, not my blog. I guess news has always lied but it seems out of control these days. It’s good to know what to do about it.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you, Jacqui! Some sources are more trustworthy than others, in my mind, and there is a big difference between state-sponsored propaganda and bad journalism.
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Joan Hall said:
I have Facebook friends who post (and forward through messenger) fake news. Or, at the least exaggerated stories. Hate to say it, but many have a political agenda and they love to spread stuff that is in opposition to their (okay, I’ll say it) Christian views. I never forward messages and if I’m in doubt, I’ll check out the validity on Snopes or other sites.
Fake news has gotten out of hand. Alone we can’t stop it, but by being cautious about what we send, post, and forward, we can in a small way help curb the spread.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Couldn’t agree more, Joan! Thank you 🙂
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DebyFredericks said:
When I hear the term “fake news” I think that Trump is trying to discredit information he doesn’t like. This is a good reminder that it’s a real problem, not just a label by the dishonest to shield themselves from scrutiny.
I wonder if we need a different label to distinguish false cries of “fake news” from genuine cases of disinformation.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
You can always call it with its original name, “propaganda” 🙂
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Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life. said:
Thank you Nicholas.. very interesting post and apologies for my generation!! Thankfully not on Instagram or Whatsapp.. I have pressed for tomorrow… hugs
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Lol–I love your generation, so no apologies necessary 😀
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Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life. said:
💜💜 😆
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sandomina said:
Well written and articulated, Nicholas. Fake news is an industry in itself endangering lives around the globe. Thanks for such informative post.
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you! High praise from someone who’s written such an amazing post on China (which, by the way, I’m sharing in a few days, if I may)!
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Stevie Turner said:
After being caught out a couple of times I now do not read anything except the BBC News App. Let’s hope that’s not full of fake news either!
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
In my mind, it’s registered as trustworthy. But I’ve learned that a) even the best of us screw up from time to time and b) trustworthiness lies in the eye of the beholder!
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Stevie Turner said:
Yes indeed.
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New Media Works said:
Reblogged this on Find News.
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QN said:
Some history on fake news
https://questioningthenarrative.home.blog/category/society/
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Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you for the great link!
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