The internet can be a great way to get things done — especially when you’re stuck dealing with a pandemic. You can use it to shop, work, connect with friends or family or any other task you’d want to conquer. But what the internet gives, it also takes away. Fake information masquerading as facts is rampant on the web, and it’s only becoming more prevalent.
According to a recent poll, over 80% of people asked rated misinformation about the government a major problem. Even more troubling? According to a Pew Research Center survey, roughly 23% of adult social media users in the U.S. say they have changed their views about a political or social issue because of something they saw on social media in the past year.
Fake information that’s posted on social media and news sites can make it difficult to figure out what to believe. Most people can’t spot fake news off-hand, either. Luckily, you can weed out the bad information if you focus on images used with fake news stories. Here’s how.
If you want to keep from falling for fake news or scams, you can focus on one factor: images. It’s common for scammers to use fake or edited images on posts or fake news stories to make the information look legit. But if you can figure out the fake photos, you can spot fake info. This tactic works for anyone who wants to recognize a scam or misinformation campaign.
To weed out the fake and edited images, you should:
Have you used reverse image search in Google Images? This is an easy way to find out where the photo is being used, what it’s being used for and where it came from.
This tool searches the internet using an image instead of words. When you run a photo through Google Images, it will search and find other images like it so you can determine where it’s from. It will also pull up modified and amended versions. This will help you discern if the information you’re being told is correct or fake.
There are three different ways to run a Google Image search, and the tool works on any browser:
1. You can drag the image to the Google Images search field.
Fact-checking has become one of the most popular ways to fight disinformation online. You can see it in action on sites like Facebook and Twitter, where certain posts now come attached with annotations for context.
Some believe these moves are a form of censorship by social media companies. Like health professionals, others say it’s the best way to stop disinformation from going viral and harming people. Tap or click here to see how Facebook blocked the spread of a viral COVID-19 conspiracy theory.
You know Facebook is full of junk. Misinformation, hate-filled posted, ads that lead to spammy sites … It goes on and on. What you probably don’t know is that Facebook is allowing users to sell firearms — often across state lines and, even more often, illegally.
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Social media can be a great place for discussion, but it’s not the most reliable when it comes to news. Fake stories and disinformation are so common these days that it’s easy to get swept up by it and tricked into sharing.
There are record numbers of early votes and votes by mail, and some analysts believe this could lead to votes being counted beyond Election Day. As confusing as this sounds, you can actually track your ballot and election results online without too much difficulty.
Your social media feeds are no doubt clogged with hoaxes and misinformation that spread all too easily. Tap or click here for rumors going around Facebook, so you don’t get tricked into sharing them.
On the other hand, your bank account is feeling the strain from all those streaming services you’ve signed up for. Tap or click here for the money-saving advice the streaming services don’t want you to know.
The 2020 election is less than a month away. With millions of people voting, it’s a perfect opportunity for thieves to trick people and take their money.
How are crooks targeting victims? Phone and email scams are the most common tactics. But this year, they’re also leveraging social media to spread disinformation. Tap or click here to see why so many voters want social media shut down during the election.
This year has been an unbelievably rough ride so far, but stay vigilant — we’re about to enter that stormy part of the year everyone dreads even when it’s not 2020. That’s right, it’s hurricane season again.
Each year, powerful hurricanes cause damage and catastrophic loss to millions of Americans. Worse yet, scammers are also paying attention during storm seasons to take advantage of impacted or desperate people. Tap or click here to see last year’s worst hurricane scams.
By now, you know the internet is full of junk. Misinformation, social media posts peddling junk and scams galore. It can feel like we’re surrounded by it all day long.
So how do you tell what’s real from what’s not? That’s where this free course comes in. If you’ve ever found yourself scratching your head over a link you clicked or fighting with a friend or relative about a piece of outlandish news, Arizona State University’s journalism school wants to help.
Facebook has a funny relationship with the law here in the U.S. The company has been mired in multiple controversies over the last decade ranging from antitrust investigations to election interference. Mark Zuckerberg himself has even testified before the U.S. Senate on behalf of his company.
A recent New York Times article focused on frustrated doctors in hospitals and private offices, who are battling not only COVID-19, but also the flood of online misinformation — the conspiracy theories and the outright lies. Are you an unwitting part of the problem?
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The Justice Department recently shut down hundreds of sites for defrauding customers with fake hand sanitizer and disinfectant sales. The sellers, based out of Vietnam, tricked tens of thousands of customers into making purchases that never arrived, and got away with it by using PayPal and fake UPS tracking numbers to conceal their crimes.
Cybercrime is one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in this era. It makes around $1.5 trillion in profits a year — and that’s a liberal estimate, according to a 2019 study. So, what are some of the most profitable goods, so to speak, that are sold online? It turns out that stolen data is at the top of the list. This data comes from companies, organizations, and even people like you.
Mask-wearing has become a surprisingly controversial subject. Between disputes on their effectiveness and debates on the ethics of mandatory mask orders, there’s no shortage of noise on the topic to confuse anyone looking for good information.
It’s hard to believe that we even need to say this but no, drinking bleach does not cure COVID-19. An unreliable company that we recently told you about was actually peddling a “miracle cure” that is an alleged cure-all tonic for a variety of ailments.
It should go without saying that products claiming to be “miracle cures” are usually anything but, especially during this pandemic. Were it so easy to fix a range of health conditions like cancer, HIV or COVID-19 with a simple tonic or pill, doctors wouldn’t be making the kind of money they do, would they?
What a decade this year has been! Between global pandemics, social unrest and the confirmation that UFOs are real, many of us are starting to get whiplash already. But there are still surprises in store for 2020 — especially as election season draws near.
Wearing a mask is one of the easiest things a person can do to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The reason: Masks block particles exhaled by the wearer, which can prevent asymptomatic transmission of the virus in public areas.
YouTube is one of the web’s most essential websites. In fact, it’s the second most popular social media platform in the world, with more than 1.9 billion registered accounts and about 500 hours of video uploaded every minute.
Debates about free speech on the web are as old as the internet itself. But due to rapid changes in public discourse and opinion, not everyone is sure as to where free speech applies online.
Per the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Congress shall make no law “…prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech.” Of course, this applies to the government making rules about speech, not businesses and the platforms they own. Tap or click here to explore a high-resolution digital edition of the U.S. Constitution.
