tag | disinformation

Local officials who a decade ago would have gone about their bureaucratic business in relative anonymity are facing threats and intense pressure, and a large chunk of American voters have no confidence the system is fair.

Relitigating the election with baseless allegations comes as no surprise. It’s been a focus of Trump’s since leaving office.

The majority of false claims about COVID vaccines on social media trace back to just a handful of influential figures. So why don’t the companies just shut them down?

It’s a stark example of what experts warn could be a coming deluge of false and misleading information related to the one-shot vaccine.

A new program on “digital literacy,” with a focus on topics like disinformation, is in the pipeline, thanks in part to Mike McConnell. His long career in national security included one stint as the director of national intelligence (2007-9) and another as head of the National Security Agency (1992-6).

In an Ipsos poll from January, one-third of respondents falsely believed that voter fraud helped President Joe Biden win the election. About one-quarter believed other unfounded conspiracies — like Democratic cities and counties falsified their vote totals.

Social media platforms including Facebook have played a big role in the spread of false claims, hoaxes and conspiracy theories about the pandemic over the last year, despite efforts by tech companies to clamp down on harmful content and promote authoritative sources.