Overview for this sub-section:
We know that fake news is not likely to check verified news sources. They use facts from verified news and layer it with misinformation. When confronted by both the fake news and verified news, people tend to discount the misinformation and the facts. That's the power of fake news.
Additionally, most adults use social media to get their news. Columbia Journalism Review reports that 30% of fake news can be linked back to Facebook while only 8% of verified news is linked from Facebook. There are fewer fake news sources than verified news sources but with social media, their reach is that much more pronounced.
The Role of Bots and Trolls
Per a 2017 study in the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, the purveyors of bots and trolls typically do not seek a specific outcome; rather, they deploy them to sow chaos, confusion, and paranoia in order to disruptinstitutions great and small. They typically can be found in online message boards and social media outlets and can be deployed in a variety of situations.
Source: Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab
Astroturf campaign tactics push a specific message into public debate by artificial means, resulting in:
Hamilton 2.0 is a website developed by the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a bipartisan, transatlantic initiative that works to publicly document and expose the ongoing efforts by Vladimir Putin and other authoritarian regimes to subvert democracy in the United States, Europe, and globally. Site users can view snapshots of Twitter bot traffic and view hot topics/hashtags and trending domains and URLs.
Deception 101: Primer on deception
by
Joseph William Caddell
Published by U.S. Army War College.
The author reviews the basic concepts related to "deception." Dr. Caddell defines terms, provides historical examples, and discusses problems associated with deception. He provides a general overview, a "primer" which is not directed at those who already possess a working knowledge of deception operations. Nevertheless, given the complex and everchanging nature of deception in the political-military environment, it may serve as a useful reminder of the basic assumptions and methods concerning the subject.
Weapons of mass distraction: Foreign state-sponsored disinformation in the digital age
Produced with support from the US Department of State's Global Engagement Center
Misinformation
Disinformation
Florida Atlantic University Libraries
777 Glades Road
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(561) 297-6911