Mark Little, CEO and co-founder of Kinzen, an Irish-based start-up that protects communities from the threat of disinformation, defines disinformation as organized campaigns of discussion created to deceive communities and intend real-world harm. They are more than just the crazy and wrongful things shared by your family and friends online. Disinformation intends to reduce the level of trust in everything that we see on the internet.
Today, how we create, share, and consume information is at an unprecedented scale. With the constant evolution of social media, people are always bombarded with content daily. Without a designated gatekeeper, consumers are exploited and overwhelmed—and that’s when disinformation starts. Here are some specific ways to curb its spread.
Disinformation is a bottom-up phenomenon. It begins with seemingly low-level chatter and then picked up by a “super spreader,” which communicates false information to mainstream channels and disrupts the network.
“That's the key to disinformation: spotting those networks, mapping them, and constantly knowing that this is a particularly dangerous account. [The account] has an alias… What you want to do is not restrict the freedom of speech, but the freedom of reach. You want to stop things from going viral. We’ve gotten to be much more about preemption and early warning. Understanding what is happening on one platform is going to be our problem tomorrow," Little stressed.
Information gaps are opportunities for spreaders. They fill in these gaps with false information, deceiving people that everything else they see on the internet is a lie. So while there are pieces of verified information being spread, the public’s level of trust has already been reduced.
As a countermeasure, it is important to work closely with verified subject matter experts, build clear algorithms, and design product solutions to supply verified information. Little suggests the use of recommendation systems that endorse all verifiable information while making sure they filter those that are untrue.
According to Little, recommendation systems are designed by engineering teams, yet require collaboration with content moderation and policy teams.
“[We need to have] a very tight feedback loop with engineering teams to gain precise data on the evolution of language. Policy teams also need to support them to evolve and match the way policy is executed, but also formulate strategies to know new threats have arisen,” Little added.
Algorithms can help detect the agile and fast-moving nature of disinformation, but need human ingenuity to “understand the nuances that define disinformation.” Invest in technology that empowers human solutions and better data for more responsible and ethical AI.
Battling disinformation requires collaboration between humans and technology. Empowering ordinary people with the right information and tools will allow them to become agents of positive change. Little suggests redefining the idea of an influencer “and creating systems where they can build reputation and authenticity, rather than simply just throwing it open to the world to try to crowdsource what's going on.”
Empowering people also involves recognizing that disinformation poses a threat to mental health—especially to content moderators who are exposed to extreme content.
TaskUs has developed a comprehensive, global psychological health and safety program for content moderators, guided by the practice of evidence-based psychology and grounded in neuroscience. You may also learn more about our Content Security service here.
For more insights, watch the Forward Webinar: Flattening the Curve of Disinformation on-demand via this link.
References
We exist to empower people to deliver Ridiculously Good innovation to the world’s best companies.
Services
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
__q_state_ | 1 Year | Qualified Chat. Necessary for the functionality of the website’s chat-box function. |
_GRECAPTCHA | 1 Day | www.google.com. reCAPTCHA cookie executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis. |
6suuid | 2 Years | 6sense Insights |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
NID, 1P_JAR, __Secure-3PAPISID,__Secure-3PSID,__ Secure-3PSIDCC | 30 Days | Cookies set by Google. Used to store a unique ID for various Google services such as Google Chrome, Autocomplete and more. Read more here: https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies#types-of-cookies |
pll_language | 1 Year | Polylang, Used for storing language preferences on the website. |
ppwp_wp_session | 30 Minutes | This cookie is native to PHP applications. Used to store and identify a users’ unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. This is a session cookie and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed. |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
_ga | 2 Years | Google Analytics, Used to distinguish users. |
_gat_gtag_UA_5184324_2 | 1 Minute | Google Analytics, It compiles information about how visitors use the site. |
_gid | 1 Day | Google Analytics, Used to distinguish users. |
pardot | Until Cleared | Salesforce Pardot. Used to store and track if the browser tab is active. |
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
bcookie | 2 Years | Browser identifier cookie. Used to uniquely identify devices accessing LinkedIn to detect abuse on the platform. |
bito, bitolsSecure | 30 Days | Set by bidr.io. Beeswax’s advertisement cookie based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow this cookie, you will experience less relevant advertising from Beeswax. |
checkForPermission | 10 Minutes | bidr.io. Beeswax’s audience targeting cookie. |
lang | Session | Used to remember a user’s language setting to ensure LinkedIn.com displays in the language selected by the user in their settings. |
pxrc | 3 Months | rlcdn.com. Used to deliver advertising more relevant to the user and their interests. |
rlas3 | 1 Year | rlcdn.com. Used to deliver advertising more relevant to the user and their interests. |
tuuid | 2 Years | company-target.com. Used for analytics and targeted advertising. |