6.1 Addendum - Present and Dangerous Disinfo

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