6.1 Addendum - Present and Dangerous Disinfo Artwork

Familiar Shapes

Technology and magic have a long, rich history together. Each Wednesday, filmmaker Heather Freeman guides us through this apparent paradox with technologists and historians from around the world. If you're into history, witchcraft, magic, social media, artificial intelligence, infotech, or ethics, this podcast brings them together with friendly familiars and malicious bots.

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Familiar Shapes

6.1 Addendum - Present and Dangerous Disinfo

June 02, 2020 • Heather D. Freeman • Season 1 • Episode 7

This is an important note to listeners. Disinfo campaigns are happening right now on social media, amidst national protests, demonstrations, and the on-going pandemic. It's up to each of us to fact check the things we see before we share them.

For more information, please read (and consider sharing) the following articles:

'None Of This Is True': Protests Become Fertile Ground for Online Disinformation. NPR (6/1/2020) https://www.npr.org/2020/06/01/867137863/none-of-this-is-true-protests-become-fertile-ground-for-online-disinformation

White nationalist group posing as antifa called for violence on Twitter. NBC News (6/1/20) https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/twitter-takes-down-washington-protest-disinformation-bot-behavior-n1221456

Social Media Usage Is At An All-Time High. That Could Mean A Nightmare For Democracy. NPR (5/27/2020) https://www.npr.org/2020/05/27/860369744/social-media-usage-is-at-an-all-time-high-that-could-mean-a-nightmare-for-democr

Facebook Steps Up Efforts To Combat The Spread Of Coronavirus Misinformation. NPR (5/26/2020) https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/03/26/822245048/facebook-steps-up-efforts-to-combat-the-spread-of-coronavirus-misinformation

It’s not easy to spot disinformation on Twitter. Here’s what we learned from 8 political ‘astroturfing’ campaigns. Hint: Don’t look for an account that tweets like a bot. Washington Post (10/28/2019) [Although this is an ‘older’ article, there’s no reason to believe these tactics aren’t still in place. Just be wary. ~HF]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/10/28/its-not-easy-spot-disinformation-twitter-heres-what-we-learned-political-astroturfing-campaigns/

If Russia can create fake ‘Black Lives Matter’ accounts, who will next?. Washington Post (10/15/2017) [Again, another ‘old’ article. And we’re seeing this phenomenon happening again right now. ~HF] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/if-russia-can-create-fake-black-lives-matter-accounts-who-will-next/2017/10/15/ffb2e01e-af79-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html