The internet and social media are key enablers in spreading information. Unfortunately, this does not exclude false information, which most of the time is more easily reshared, even if not necessarily with the intention to create any harm.
For this reason, it is best to start by differentiating between misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation is false information that is shared without the intention to cause any harm, but which still can have a negative effect. On the other hand, disinformation is false information which is intentionally disseminated to cause harm.
Studies such as the one conducted by MIT Sloan professor David Rand and his co-author Gordon Pennycook, show that people are more likely to share false information because they are distracted or too lazy to confirm if the news or stories they encounter are true.
Therefore, it is very important to be able to spot Misinformation and Disinformation as the spreading of such information creates confusion about what is really happening around us.
How to spot misinformation and disinformation:
- Ensuring the information is true: when reading a story or news article, make sure to check its veracity by reading information from different sources that can be trusted. There are also websites through which you can confirm that stories are factual.
- Use reliable sources: make sure that the information is coming from a source that can be trusted and one which you are familiar with.
- Question what you read: when reading an article, make sure to read all of it, check who is writing the article and what sources are being quoted by the author when providing the information.
- Opinions vs News: A news article is usually written in an objective manner without emotions.
- Cognitive biases: When the information we share is more difficult for us to process, then the less we tend to trust this information. However, this does not mean that the source is unreliable, and we should not just form our opinion on what our gut tells us. Instead, we should rely on expert advice and look for scientific information that can confirm information.
- Deepfakes: With the great advancements in technology, especially in Artificial Intelligence, it is more possible to create fake images of someone or something which makes it very hard to detect it is a fake.
However, there are several steps that can be taken to avoid falling for misinformation and disinformation. There are several signs which give away fake news, such as:
- ALL CAPS text or photoshopped images
- Fake sites which could be trying to copy sites of well-known brands
- Clickbait stories, using a lot of pop-up adverts and banners
- Dates of stories which might have been published in the past and reshared, making them irrelevant
- If you are not sure if a story is true, then do not share it!
This Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre. Neither the European Union nor the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre can be held responsible for them.