Truth Under Siege: Battling the Infodemic in the Digital Era....by  Navraj Singh Gill

Man-Made Disaster of Digital Era: Infodemic-Overabundance of Information

Chandigarh: Today, technology is an invariable part of human life. The Digital society that surrounds us educates itself with free access to abundant information on the internet.

This digital information abundance includes both valuable content and an influx of misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information (MDM), collectively known as MDM, circulates widely on the internet.Differentiating right from wrong, real from fake has been a challenge since the existence of human civilization.Even using technology, sifting the vast information to flag fake has been a daunting task.

Infodemic, is a portmanteau of information and endemic, initially this word was used specifically in the context of the overabundance of information (both accurate and inaccurate) related to health issues. Infodemic, in general context, means excessive information (MDM: misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information), available on a subject on the internet. So much so that it becomes difficult to make a decision using it. Overwhelming information is a man-made disaster of the digital era.

To elaborate further on MDM, misinformation is information that is false and not created or published with ulterior motives or bad intentions. Whereas disinformation is false and deliberately created against an individual, or to target a particular group or influence public opinion by casting a negative light on the subject.

Mal-information is based-on reality like publishing somebody’s personal information to tarnish an image or harm an individual, particular group, organization etc. for instance revenge porn or leaking of emails.

During the pandemic, false claims about vaccine side effects and effectiveness spread widely. An absurd piece of information linking the vaccine to infertility or death caused widespread fear.This prompted WHO to launch campaigns to counter misinformation and encourage vaccination.

The creators of MDM design it in a manner with catchy and out-of-context headlines that give the potential to go viral. However, the proliferation of MDM is propelled by social media platforms.  For instance, Clickbait is a type of online content designed to attract attention and encourage people to click on a link, often through sensationalized or misleading headlines. 

Exploits cognitive vulnerabilities like fear of missing out on something to engage users more and more. 

Another challenging battle is that the performance of content overtakes the quality of content. Performance of content is measured and defined in terms of being likable enough to catch hold the interest of the audience and put it on a fast track of getting viral.

Sometimes it is superfluous like gossip which has no valuable or authentic information but rather has an entertainment quotient attached to it. Recently, a rumour about Alia Bhatt’s alleged “Botox gone wrong” circulated widely. The information spreads like wildfire, uncontrollably.

To prevent the damage, the rectification or statement of identification of fabricated information does not catch the same pace of spread as disinformation. 

Another portmanteau of deep learning and fake, Deepfake technology is a type of artificial intelligence (AI)used to create and manipulate fake digital images, videos, and audio recordings that are hard to distinguish from real ones. With the ultimate end to develop and render an image or video that didn't occur or exist in reality. 

The term describes both the technology and the fabricated content created. Initially, harmless fun is now twisted into impersonation by fraudsters.Deepfake works using AI algorithms that gather a vast dataset of images or videos of the target and create flawless illusions by manipulating reality.

More is the availability of data on the target subject, more realistic deepfake would be produced. In the context of infodemic, AI has seized this domain too, enabling the development of content that is based on disinformation at a scale that is hard to control, especially the speed at which it is being spread. 

The “digital arrest” is a recent type of scam by cybercriminals in which they impersonate officials from law enforcement agencies and pressurise victims to transfer money under some pretense during a prolonged call, usually portrayed as a digital arrest to the victim.

In the digital arrest cases, in the past one and half years, it was observed that the cybercriminals did not target the people who were digital illiterates or were not competent enough to use technology.

Rather well-read men and women in prominent positions fell victim to this new conning in the digital space. In this context, the individuals were victims of information available on them in the digital world.The user’s vulnerability comes from the amount of information they have exposed themselves, online.

In Punjab, the seasoned industrialist Mr. S.P. Oswal fell prey to the “Digital Arrest” event and ended up paying 7 Crores to fraudsters who posed as CJI of India, CBI official, and whatnot. They created deepfakes to impersonate officials of various government departments wearing appropriate uniforms against different backdrops of law enforcement agencies and displaying documents hard to differentiate as unreal.

A call on WhatsApp or Skype, trusted platforms were used to make video calls to the victims in several cases across India. In most cases recorded under digital arrest, it was observed that many users were unaware that such a kind of arrest does not exist.

In response to curb such menacing incidents, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (IC4) issued a public advisory. It is made clear that law enforcement agencies such as the CBI, police, customs, ED, or judges do not conduct arrests through video calls and caution the public against falling victim to these fraudsters.

From the above scenario, it is clear that no matter how sophisticated artificial intelligence algorithms are there to identify, trace, track, and eradicate MDM, the ultimate command will always require human intervention in the form of the government’s regulations to put a stop to it. 

Educating people on how to identify credible sources, cross-check facts and claims, and detect deepfakes and manipulated opinions or false narratives is the best way to hinder the propagation of disinformation.

In the case of deepfakes carefully looking for subtle nuances like lip-syncing, inconsistent eye movement or blinking, etc can enable a user to detect a fake. Equipping people with skills to sift real from fake, leads to an informed and robust society that is not influenced by MDM. 

Technology companies can play their role by actively detecting fake and false information. Media platforms can reduce the circulation of such content by limiting the visibility, for instance by limiting the number of times a media can be forwarded.

Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook use AI tools to detect and limit the spread of misinformation. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic when the internet was swamped with misinformation on the virus and vaccines, algorithms were used to label posts with fact-checked sources, helping to counteract the infodemic.

AI can read the languages using natural language processing algorithms. Using these algorithms or programs, languages can be easily read and interpreted like humans. However, if the misleading information is being transmitted in the form of an image, it becomes more difficult to spot such a harmful piece of information where the natural language processing capability of AI becomes redundant.

Disinformation exacerbates social tension and in a country like India with diverse communities, it is a challenge for the government to curb the menace of MDM despite proper IT laws in place.

While honouring the freedom of speech, individuals or organizations promoting biases can be held accountable if it gives rise to a distorted or polarised presentation of information that can give rise to hatred among communities.

Fake videos or messages alleging violence or discrimination against a particular group have led to social tensions many times in India. The mere existence of IT laws shall not bear the desired fruit of hindering circulation of MDM. It is the enforcement of those laws that can bring order to the otherwise chaotic world of information.

The government is required to be more stringent with the present ones and enact new ones as when required to protect users in the digital landscape.

Using the “good side” side of technology, AI Tools enhance the ability to wade through huge databases to identify, track, and control unreliable sources of information. As of now to be on the lookout, and using deepfake verification techniques is the only way out.  Artificial Intelligence, fortunately, spots fake and misinformation at the same pace as it spreads it.

The government of India needs to play a proactive role to nip the evil in the bud by employing these techniques at a universal scale.The problem of disinformation has always existed only that the scale of dissemination is gigantic now. Misleading or false information is deliberately published with the intent to cause harm, manipulate or polarise public opinions, create confusion, and erode trust in institutions.

Overwhelming information can give rise to a gaslighted society. Erroneous interpretation of information and out-of-context statements leads to repercussions such as mental, social, political and/or economic distress. 

From beating a drum in public for an announcement to using generative AI to make deepfakes to circulate information in the desired interpretation, dissemination of information has come a long way.

As the MDM is evolving so should the strategies to combat this man-made disaster. To combat the information disorder, a change of emphasis from digital literacy to information literacy is the need of the hour.As a responsible digital citizen, one should check the veracity of the information before accepting and sharing it on any of the social media platforms.

Cultivate critical thinking: Analysing, questioning credibility, and verifying the source of information is the key to survival in the swamp of disinformation. And the only way to build a resilient society.

October 27, 2024