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Disinformation and 'fake news'

(29 Posts)
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MaizieD Mon 18-Feb-19 14:07:27

I wonder if the government will react to this report?

Especially as it places big question marks over the conduct of the EU referendum.

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POGS Mon 18-Feb-19 13:59:37

There is nothing new about fake news/disinformation but the rise in social media and overtly political propaganda sites has been recognised by many but governments have been slow to react.

Lord knows even on Gransnet some posters have banged on about fake news/ disinformation for years and called out links to sites that are known to be political propaganda machines or using fake news/disinformation.

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M0nica Mon 18-Feb-19 13:32:33

There was an interesting interview on the Radio today about this and the rise of conspiracy theories.

They stated discussing the rise in the number of people who believe the earth is flat. The interviewee, said the problem is the way internet and search engine providers analyse what sites you visit and immediately list similar sites. So if someone visits a site advocating that the earth is flat, they will be given references to sites also advocating that the world is flat but not any who put an alternative view, so that they get a distorted and one sided view of this belief.

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MaizieD Mon 18-Feb-19 12:33:59

The House of Commons committee on Digital Culture, Media and Sport has just released its report on its inquiry into 'Disinformation and 'fake news'.

I haven't yet read the report, but this twitter thread highlights some of its findings.

threadreaderapp.com/thread/1097286447395147778.html

(Steve Peers, the writer of the tweets, is Professor of EU, Human Rights & World Trade Law, University of Essex.)

Ever since the revelations of targeted adverts on social media, the role of Cambridge Analytica in the referendum campaign and the distinct possibility of foreign influence on voters I have been very concerned about the threat posed to democracy by the spreading of information, propaganda and lies by ways that mean that not everyone has the potential to be able to see what is being said and thus there is little or no opportunity for alternative views to be given and lies to be refuted.

From this report it is apparent that I'm not the only person in the UK who thinks this.

The full report can be found here:

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcumeds/1791/179102.htm

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