Navigating the Digital Minefield: Combating misinformation in the age of social media...by GS Kaler

Chandigarh: In today’s digital era where communication is instantaneous and there exists ubiquitous access to information, one of the major challenges of modern times is to differentiate between real versus fake news. 

With the rapid rise of social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube) and innumerable digital platforms like Whatsapp, Signal, etc., it has become difficult to identify misinformation from authentic information and this poses a huge challenge to individuals, societies and democracies across the globe.

The landscape of online information has become like a dangerous minefield in which it has become a Herculean task to discern fact from fiction. With the explosion of misleading headlines on social media and spread of viral rumours on Whatsapp, it has become vital to tackle this digital challenge in the boundless realms of cyberspace.

Armed with smartphones and interconnected networks with unprecedented data at our fingertips, some people with vested interests find it a lucrative opportunity to spread fake news and misleading information through social media and Whatsapp.

 The motive for doing this may vary from person to person in terms of their nefarious agendas like spreading religious hate, social bias, causing chaos/panic in society, political manipulations, mob violence or to just make windfall profits at the expense of people’s ignorance. 

As the digital citizens of 21st century’s information era, it is important for us to analyse and explore the strategies-cum-methods to strongly counter the modern day challenge of spread of misinformation and fake news on social media in order to successfully navigate the cyber landscape with clarity, confidence and conviction.

According to Cambridge Dictionary, fake news refers to "false narratives that mimic news, disseminated via the internet or other media, typically crafted to sway political perspectives or as a form of jest." Fake news has no verifiable facts, sources or quotes. Misinformation denotes inaccurate information shared online by individuals who genuinely believe it to be true, without any malicious intent or ulterior motive. Disinformation, on the other hand, constitutes deliberate falsehoods propagated by individuals fully aware of their deceptive nature. 

During the pandemic of corona virus, fake news circulated on social media that 5G technology had contributed to the transmission of the virus. This false claim suggested that 5G weakened the immune system and facilitated virus transmission through radio waves. Despite being debunked by official sources multiple times, these unfounded claims continued to circulate widely.

On public communication networks like Facebook and Twitter, fake news can be corrected by followers through comments, and the platforms can remove reported content. 

However, on WhatsApp, where messages are end-to-end encrypted, there's no timestamp or sender identification, allowing fake content to exist without context. This makes it prone to resurfacing and causing repeated harm over time.

It is important to tackle fake news because it poses numerous dangers, including confusion and misunderstanding on crucial social and political matters, erosion of trust in legitimate news sources, potential for individuals to make misinformed health decisions, exacerbation of social conflicts leading to polarization, and academic repercussions for students relying on false or misleading information.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, "fact-checking" involves investigating an issue to confirm the accuracy of the facts presented. False and misleading information holds significant consequences, as it can polarize communities and sway opinions toward extreme ideologies, often dividing people along religious or ethnic lines. 

Moreover, it has the potential to mislead individuals on critical issues, reinforcing stereotypes and hardening attitudes towards certain groups. In extreme cases, it can even incite riots or exacerbate violence by adding fuel to already volatile situations. Given these risks, the practice of fact-checking becomes essential in combating the spread of misinformation and safeguarding the integrity of information disseminated online.

The rise in misinformation is fueled by widespread access to mass communication tools, such as social media, made possible by affordable internet connections and data plans. 

However, this accessibility has led to a lack of digital media literacy among users, making them vulnerable to false information. In regions like India, misinformation flourishes in regional languages, often evading scrutiny from mainstream English or Hindi media outlets with greater fact-checking resources. Even mainstream media sources have contributed to the spread of misinformation in their rush to deliver news quickly on digital platforms.

With more than 400 million users of Whatsapp in India, the popularity of the platform in terms of strength and speed has made it an appealing area of interest for miscreants to spread fake news, viral rumours and misleading information through it. 

The purpose of controlling the spread of fake information and viral rumours through social media and Whatsapp is to prevent the rise of hate propaganda and violence in society. Any negative rumours in the form of absurd claims or stories tend to spread very quickly through social media and Whatsapp, thereby appealing to the raw emotions of people, causing anger or fear. 

Many efforts have been earlier also made by Whatsapp to check the menace of misinformation and rumours. For instance, Whatsapp had introduced the feature wherein the forwarding of a message was limited to only five chats and restrictions were introduced in Groups through which only the admins had the power to send a message. Needless to say, these small efforts have proved to be quite successful in tackling the menace of misinformation and fake rumours. 

Instagram and Facebook now use a "false information" label to address disinformation. Third-party fact checkers identify potential false claims, and if deemed untrue, the post receives a label. Twitter has also taken action against disinformation by suspending accounts for manipulative or spammy behavior. LinkedIn encourages users to report false information, and if confirmed, the post is removed. Recognizing fake news is crucial, and users should report it to the platform when identified.

The content on social media gets prioritized in terms of engagement metrics which basically refers to the number of times it is posted, shared, liked and forwarded. 

The popularity or virality of any content on social media has no real connection with its accuracy or research aspect of it. Due to this very reason, the clickbait, hyperbole and misinformation spreads quickly on social media. 

Also, the bots on social media are able to create fake accounts online for spreading fake information in terms of mass articles which have no credibility of their sources. These bot accounts are able to gain followers, recognition and authority as the social media giants still struggle to tackle them, albeit unsuccessfully.

Trolls – internet users who deliberately try to start an argument or upset people- are also used as a weapon to spread fake news on Whatsapp and social media. The terms like ‘troll farms’ or ‘troll factories’ is used these days to refer to the institutionalized and paid group of trolls who try to manipulate the public’s mind and secretly interfere in political decision making.

Apart from trolls and bots, another method to spread disinformation is through deepfakes which are fake videos created to cause panic and anxiety by using digital software, machine learning and face-cum-voice swapping. 

Deepfakes are very difficult to identify and have the explosive capacity to create mass confusions amongst the netizens. It can be hard to guess if the event or action in the deepfake video has actually happened in real life or not. However, these days, the social media giants and content creating platforms have been strictly told by the government to put watermarks on any such videos which are not original in nature but have been created by creators using deepfake technology.

As the times are changing, it is the need of the hour to treat the social media companies as not just any intermediary platforms but also as the publishers of information so that they are not able to conveniently escape the legal liabilities which are enforced upon the traditional media outlets.

Even though the social media giants are spending billions of dollars in money and efforts to tackle the spread of disinformation, misinformation and fake news, however, we should not ignore our own responsibility to act intelligently in order to spot such misinformation and fake news on Whatsapp. Some tips to do so are as follows-

1) Be cautious of the frequently forwarded messages-

When you receive a message on Whatsapp, it is important to notice if it is an original message or a forwarded one. Always check the source of message and the intention behind it. Any message which is forwarded on Whatsapp more than five times, the platform labels it as ‘Frequently Forwarded’ message with a double arrow icon. Therefore, if we are not sure about the originality and truth of the message, we must run double-check about its authenticity before blindly believing it and thereby forwarding it to others without application of head and heart. 

As digitally aware netizens, it is imperative that we do not forward any message to other users or groups on Whatsapp and also do not post anything on social media without checking or verifying its facts. Read beyond the outrageous or sensationalistic headlines. 

Check the date of the story’s publishing. ‘Verify before you amplify’ is the mantra for checking the spread of fake news on social media as one must gauge the accuracy of it through authoritative and credible news media sources before forwarding it to other users or groups on Whatsapp or social media. Verify the website address you're visiting. Fake news sites often have misspellings in the URL or use unconventional domain extensions like ".infonet" or ".offer".

 Check for grammatical or spelling mistakes and maintain a critical mindset to know if the news story tries to promote a particular vested interest or an agenda. Check if the website is known for satire or humorous content before taking a story seriously. 

Satirical websites are prevalent, and it's not always obvious if a story is intended as a joke or parody. You’re your emotions and personal biases under control and always be skeptical of any news or story published on social media. Learn to hesitate before you reshare or forward it without checking about its credibility. 

If you feel suspicious about the trustworthiness of any message or news story, you can always mark it as spam and even report about it to the concerned social media platform for analysis and removal of it. 

As individual users, we also have a common responsibility and unless we collectively join our hands to tackle the spread of mis/dis information through social media and Whatsapp, the results will not be completely satisfying. 

2) Use Fact-checking websites –

It is useful to not to consume information and news through social media and Whatsapp where anybody can post or forward any news item without any proper check or regulation. Rather than carelessly depending on social media, always use trusted and credible sources for consuming or verifying information like established news outlets, newspapers and news channels. 

The news coming from trusted and established portals is provided by experienced journalists and editors who have to follow strict codes of conduct and maintain professional high standards of excellence in their work. 

However, a word of caution exists here also as the quality of ethical journalism has got severely tarnished in the recent years due to monetary, business and political considerations. Fact-checking websites like factcheck.org, politifact.com, etc., can be a reliable source to recheck the accuracy and authenticity of the news or information before forwarding it to others.

3) Verify images – 

Confirming the authenticity of images is essential as they can often be manipulated or taken out of context. One way to verify images is by using Google's reverse image search feature. Start by downloading the image in question. Then, visit https://images.google.com/ and click on the camera icon located near the search bar. Upload the image, and Google will display possible sources where the image has appeared, helping you determine its legitimacy.

The Information Technology (IT) Act has its own legal provisions for tackling the spread of fake news on social media. Under Section 69 (A) and Section 79 (3) (b), the IT Act has empowered the authorized authority of each state in India to submit legal requests to the social media platforms for removing or taking down any objectionable content by any user. 

 The Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check Unit (FCU) has also been set up by the Government of India in year 2019 to tackle the dissemination of false information being circulated online about the government and its policies or activities.

To conduct the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in a free and fair manner, the Election Commission of India (ECI) initiated a ‘Myth versus Reality’ project to effectively tackle the fake narratives and misleading news related to the electoral process. The tech giant, Google, also joined hands with the ECI to prevent the spread of false information, promote authorized content and label AI-generated content during the elections.

The bitter reality is that the fake news will always be there. It is impossible to eliminate it completely. The final responsibility to tackle the spread of mis/dis information needs to be handled in a collective manner by social media platforms, government agencies and individual users. In today's digital age, the prevalence of fake news and misinformation poses significant challenges to society. 

From influencing public opinion to impacting individual decision-making, the spread of false information can have far-reaching consequences. 

However, by employing critical thinking skills, fact-checking resources, and reporting mechanisms provided by social media platforms, individuals can play a vital role in combating the spread of fake news. Together, we can strive for a more informed and responsible online environment where accurate information prevails over falsehoods.

May 7, 2024