As America continues through its election process, misinformation continues to spread through social media. The press and fact checking organizations have been reporting on the specific items of misinformation that they have detected. One organization, the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP), has been posting updates on misinformation specifically related to the election for the research community, election officials, government agencies, civil society organizations and social media platforms. The EIP is made up of four organizations that are researching the affects of social media on society. Included in the partnership is the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public (CIP). The CIP conducts research into misinformation and disinformation and education targeted primarily to students.
Why are these organizations important?
Rumors and misinformation have always been with us. The spread of misinformation has always been rapid. But even a couple of hundred years ago, information spread by word of mouth, or on horseback. As we have developed communication technology like the telegraph, telephone, radio, TV and now the internet, information and therefore misinformation can spread around the world in the blink of an eye. The effects of making decisions base on misinformation have become magnified in their potential for harm.
On an individual basis, we have unprecedented access to all kinds of information. This is wonderful for all of us. We can find out about just about anything. Bill Gates championed “Information at Your Fingertips.” And we have achieved that with smartphones. But in recent years it has become obvious that not all information based on fact circulates on the internet. Bad information also spreads by people who innocently pass it along and by actors whose motivations may include disruption, gaining an advantage for themselves or a cause, or simply to steal from individuals or organizations.
For several years, there have been efforts by government such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and volunteer organizations such as AARP’s Fraud Watch Network to educate the public of the threat to them by scammers and fraudsters and methods the public can take to detect and prevent online fraud.
The efforts of organizations like the Center for an Informed Public in understanding how misinformation develops and spreads online is important for all of us. Not in the sense of promoting a particular political point of view but in allowing us as individuals to better evaluate the information that we receive as we read, hear, or watch on a screen of our choice.
Having a simple, systematic method to evaluate information like SIFT (Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace) should help us to avoid becoming victims of crime and improve our decision making in other parts of our lives.
University of Washington Center for an Informed Public:
Election Integrity
Project:
https://www.eipartnership.net/
Politifact:
FactCheck.org:
Snopes:
Federal Trade
Commission:
AARP Fraud Watch
Network:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/?cmp=RDRCT-cda29a46-20200401
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