CSA Online by James Dolan The real deal on fake news How technology is making reality a little harder to spot – and what you can do about it The evolution of “un-truth” Fake news has always existed – think of those crazy tabloid headlines at the grocery checkout. And, of course, propaganda and political misinformation have always been tools of nefarious political actors. What’s different now is the speed at which such un-truth can be disseminated, and the seeming authenticity of the images, video and audio content associated with it. Simply put, AI makes it easy for dishonest actors to quickly create a lot of fake content for not a lot of money. This “flood the zone” strategy is key to its success: the sheer volume of sensational stories helps feed social media algorithms, pushing out sensational rumours faster than they can be debunked. These days, disinformation seems to be happening along three closely related vectors: Fabricated news – articles, social posts and opinion pieces written entirely by machines, designed to look authentic and sound like legitimate reporting. “Deepfakes” – photos, graphics and videos generated by AI that combine elements of real photos and voices into fabricated scenarios. Disinformation campaigns – co-ordinated campaigns that undermine confidence in government institutions, political parties or democracy itself. The red flags: how to spot online fakery A few years ago, such disinformation was poorly written and unpolished, with grammar mistakes, awkward syntax and unnatural production that was easy to spot. But that’s changing. New technology smooths out obvious errors and makes synthetic content more believable. The good news is, there are still some observable warning signs that are easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for. These include: Emotion-driven headlines – if you see a dramatic headline loaded with emotionally heavy words (“You won’t believe that ...” or “The shocking truth about....” or “You’ll be amazed when you hear ...” and so on), be on your guard. Suspicious sources – unfamiliar publications, social media accounts with few followers, articles that lack an author, a lack of original sources — all of these are signs that someone is playing fast and loose with the facts. Photos and videos that look “off” – does that image have odd or “too perfect” lighting? Are there distorted faces or misaligned digits? Do the voices sound robotic? Are there background details that don’t make sense? If so, you could be viewing something fake. Pressure to ACT NOW!!! – a big red flag of fraud, scams and cons. If you come across something that includes pressure to buy, post, share or input personal info right now, there’s a good chance that something fishy is going on. Lack of specifics – articles and stories that deal in vague generalizations or fuzzy ideas, while lacking specific dates, locations or verifiable quotations are almost always worthy of extra scrutiny. The news was shocking and the footage dramatic: the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln listing in the Strait of Hormuz, enveloped in fire and surrounded by thick, acrid smoke. Accompanied by descriptions of Iranian missiles striking the carrier, the news spread quickly across the internet and social media, prompting shock, alarm and disbelief. There’s only one problem: it didn’t happen. It’s only the most recent example of technology making it more and more difficult to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not. As artificial intelligence continues to grow more intelligent, the line between the truth and disinformation is becoming increasingly blurry. Here’s the good news: we can protect ourselves. Here’s a rundown on how you can spot the red flags of fake news and ensure that you don’t get taken in by technological trickery. 44 | www.snowbirds.org
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