How to spot disinformation. There are more than ten million stories on the
internet that have disinformation. Actually that statistic is
disinformation. We made that number up to prove a point: making stuff up on the
Internet is easy. There is no truth or lie filter on the Internet.
There are no standards that anyone has to meet in order to create a website.
It's up to you to judge whether something you see on the Internet is
true or a hoax, a misleading story or an outright lie. Here are our top 10 tips
for spotting disinformation. Number 1: double-check the site address, also known
as the URL. Scammers will often create a site with an address that is very close
to a legitimate news site. They may use a common misspelling of a news site or add
characters or a period to a legitimate website address. Fake sites can look real
even be exact replicas of the real site, so check the URL carefully to make sure
you are really where you think you are and where you want to be. Number 2: get
information from multiple sources. There was once a social media post
claiming that a new species of killer spider was killing hundreds of people in
the southeast and that the threat was quickly spreading to other states.
This claim went viral, spread by thousands of readers. A quick search
would have revealed that no legitimate news sources or government agencies had
published any information. It was a fake story someone made up. Number three:
always check the context of a quotation. Sometimes knowing what a person said
just before or after a quote can make all the difference in the world. A real
email subject line once read, "Winter fashions you can't afford," but the whole
heading actually said, Winter fashions you can't afford to miss!" Those two words
completely changed the the headline. Number four: for those using
the internet to research health-related information, be cautious.
There are certainly trustworthy sites such as Web MD and Mayo Clinic, but there
are many sites with disinformation as well. Number five: for financial advice,
sites that appear independent may be funded by those trying to sell you an
investment like gold, Bitcoin, silver, etc. Understanding who is behind advice sites
is key, or else they're really just commercials. Number six: turn to credible
sources. Universities and government agencies are great sources of factual
information. So are nonprofits and nonpartisan research organizations. How
do you know if an organization is nonpartisan? Read their mission statement
and compare their data with other like organizations. Number seven: look for hard
data from reliable sources. Remember the spider hoax we just talked
about? This hoax was lurid and scary, but failed to name the spider species,
interview any scientists or medical authorities, or refer to any news stories,
government warnings, or research that would confirm the story. Number eight:
look for errors in grammar and spelling. These errors are good indicators that
the source is either from a foreign country or isn't a professionally
trained journalist. Number nine: recognize your own biases. We are all guilty of
searching for information that validates our beliefs. It is best to make an
informed decision after you have thoughtfully considered
all sides of an issue. Number 10: use common sense. Scammers create lurid and
sensational stories every day and cash in on the advertising clicks. Others are
trying to influence people for a specific cause. Just knowing that you
will be exposed to false information as you browse the Internet means you're one
step closer to being prepared. Spotting disinformation can be an
interesting way to flex your lifelong learning muscles. Interested in more
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