disinformation – News Stories About disinformation - Page 2

After Twitter Dumped Trump,
a Big Drop in Misinformation

Jan 18, 2021 8:01 AM CST

After Twitter Dumped Trump, a Big Drop in Misinformation

Researchers say taking president off platform made significant dent in the spread of false claims

(Newser) - If you're wondering what effect "deplatforming"—ie, taking away someone's megaphone, especially online—has on the spread of misinformation, a recent ban is seeing some interesting results. The Washington Post reports that, per analytics firm Zignal Labs, false claims about election fraud plummeted 73% across multiple...

Fake Twitter Accounts Claimed to Be Black Trump Supporters

Twitter Pulls Accounts of
Fake Black Trump Supporters

Oct 15, 2020 12:30 AM CDT

Twitter Pulls Accounts of Fake Black Trump Supporters

Analysts say there are signs of Russian involvement

(Newser) - Dozens of fake Twitter accounts that featured photos of Black people taken from news reports and messages including "YES IM BLACK AND IM VOTING FOR TRUMP" have been suspended. It's not clear who created the accounts, some of which had tens of thousands of followers, but Clemson University...

Twitter: Here's How We'll Protect 'Integrity of Election Conversation'

Twitter Puts New
Rules in Place
for Election

Oct 9, 2020 1:56 PM CDT

Twitter Puts New Rules in Place for Election

Politicians can't declare victory on their own

(Newser) - Twitter is going to look and feel slightly different over the coming days. Per the Washington Post , the social media platform will be putting in place guardrails to mitigate misleading and false tweets regarding the Nov. 3 election, including warnings on politicians' falsehoods and strict rules on when the election...

Russian Operation Sought to Divide Liberal Voters

How a US Journalist Became
a Tool of Russian Trolls

Sep 2, 2020 7:33 AM CDT

How a US Journalist Became a Tool of Russian Trolls

News website Peace Data sought to divide liberal voters with disinformation

(Newser) - Actors linked to Russia's Internet Research Agency recruited US journalists to contribute to a news website that was critical of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in an attempt to sow division among liberal voters, Facebook said Tuesday. Tipped off by the FBI, Facebook removed 13 accounts and two pages...

Sources: Facebook Weighing Political Ad Ban Before Election

Amid Spread of Misinformation,
Whispers on FB's Next Move

Jul 11, 2020 6:00 AM CDT

Amid Spread of Misinformation, Whispers on FB's Next Move

Sources tell Bloomberg the social media platform is considering banning political ads before election

(Newser) - Facebook has been struggling lately over a massive advertiser boycott , partly driven by the company's refusal to address political ads spreading misinformation on the platform. Now, people familiar with Facebook's thinking say the company is considering banning political ads in the days leading up to the November election,...

Report: Chinese Agents Spread Fake US Lockdown Messages

Report: Chinese Agents
Spread US COVID-19 Panic

Apr 22, 2020 1:31 PM CDT

Report: Chinese Agents Spread US COVID-19 Panic

Text messages claimed military was preparing to lock down entire country

(Newser) - Warnings in mid-March that the US government was about to use the military to lock down the entire country were disseminated by Chinese operatives seeking to spread panic and undermine the government, intelligence agencies believe. Officials tell the New York Times that the misinformation spread on social media and through...