4 ms·
Not all disinformation is too gray to identify objectively. Much of it consists of objectively false information that is fed to the uninformed. Take, for examp
by bleepblorp 6y ago
Not all disinformation is too gray to identify objectively. Much of it consists of objectively false information that is fed to the uninformed.
Take, for example, the long-running Republican voter suppression tactic of using targeted messages to mislead demographics likely to vote Democratic into thinking that the election day is later than it is.[0] This is objectively false information: the date of elections is officially determined, widely published, and not subject to differences of opinion. Entities which spread this kind of information are engaging in disinformation campaigns.
Other trivially identifiable disinformation campaigns include claims that 'urban liberals' were setting fire to rural areas in Oregon, claims that the IFR for COVID-19 is no worse than that for influenza, and conspiracy theories that push hydroxychloroquine as a miracle cure for COVID-19. There's no gray area with any of these issues; the lines they push are objectively false and are socially destructive.
Dealing with information gray areas is hard, but an awful lot of disinformation is trivial to identify and wouldn't be difficult to clean up if it wasn't beneficial to large piles of money with close ties to social media companies.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_United_States#Voting_procedure_disinformation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_suppression_in_the_Unite...
- zpeti 6y agoI started off reading your post and was agreeing with you, until you really got into listing issues that are gray areas. Yes, an election date is a fact. Claiming something else easily constitutes voter suppression. I don't know what laws the US has around this but I imagine a court could easily criminally punish entities for doing this. However - especially when it comes to covid, you really are in gray areas. And even the authority makes mistakes, how do you then "fact check it"? When the WHO claims in january its not airborne, or Fauci says don't wear masks one month, and wear them a month later? When the WHO says lock down your countries, and just this week says actually you shouldn't? Hydroxychloroquine was used in many countries, by medical doctors. Just because trump said he is taking it doesn't make it a conspiracy theory. At the time there were legitimate doctors trying legitimate theories. Even if it turned out to be false, it's ridiculous to claim this issue is black and white.
- projct 6y agoNice straw man! Covid infection fatality rates (in other words, what bleepblorp actually used as an example) are well known and not at all grey. Other stuff about covid that you picked to knock down his argument, is, in fact grey. His point was that there is a lot that can be done about obvious falsehoods, not that we have to decide on every single grey area.