Misinformation

Disinformation: How organisations find and debunk fake news about the Ukraine invasion

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The war in Ukraine is the subject of much online disinformation and propaganda but fact-checking organisations are tracking down how social media posts spread and debunking them Technology 14 March 2022 By Chris Stokel-Walker Firefighters try to extinguish a fire after a chemical warehouse was hit by Russian shelling near Kalynivka village in Ukraine on … Read more

News at a glance: Relaxed U.S. mask guidance, kids’ COVID-19 vaccine, and Facebook’s ‘F’ on climate misinformation | Science

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COVID-19 CDC relaxes guidance on wearing masks in public The often-acrimonious U.S. debate over wearing masks entered a new phase last week when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) loosened its guidance and suggested about 70% of the population could jettison them. The turnabout comes as the Omicron wave ebbs and scientists consider … Read more

Facebook policy to stop vaccine misinformation only worked temporarily

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Between November 2020 and February 2021, Facebook introduced policies to cut down on misinformation related to covid-19 vaccines, but they only worked for about six months Technology 15 February 2022 By Chris Stokel-Walker As part of its policy on covid-19 misinformation, Facebook removed posts with false claims about vaccines Sipa US/Alamy Policies put in place … Read more

Cyberattack Misinformation Could Be Plan for Ukraine Invasion

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Last week U.S. officials claimed the Russian government was planning to publish a video of a staged “attack” by Ukrainian forces. The officials said their announcement was an attempt to preemptively halt a misinformation campaign that could serve as a pretext for Russian forces to invade. Such propaganda campaigns have been used in wars throughout … Read more

Flurona Is a Great Example of How Misinformation Blooms

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Earlier this week, Israeli media reported a person who was hospitalized with evidence of both seasonal flu and COVID at the same time. This unvaccinated and pregnant person had mild symptoms and was discharged without any complications. A person being infected with both the COVID-causing SARS-CoV2 virus and an influenza virus can happen; we just … Read more

What Will 2022 Bring in the Way of Misinformation on Social Media? 3 Experts Weigh In

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The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. At the end of 2020, it seemed hard to imagine a worse year for misinformation on social media, given the intensity of the presidential election and the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. But 2021 proved up to the … Read more