Latest news with #misinformation
Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Aurora Cannabis Advises of Second False Article from Investing.com
NASDAQ| TSX: ACB EDMONTON, AB, June 19, 2025 /CNW/ - Aurora Cannabis Inc. (the "Company" or "Aurora") (NASDAQ: ACB) (TSX: ACB), a leading Canada-based global medical cannabis company, has become aware of a second instance of misinformation posted on news website,
CBS News
6 hours ago
- CBS News
Fontana police chief warns of misidentifying local law enforcement with ICE agents
The chief of the Fontana Police Department said officer safety is at risk as department officers are being confused for ICE or federal agents involved in immigration enforcement, mostly as misinformation spreads through social media, he said. Chief Michael Dorsey said at a Thursday news conference that these misunderstandings have led to people disrupting active police duties unrelated to ICE immigration operations. "As your chief of police, let me be clear, the Fontana Police Department is committed to protecting and serving all members of our community," Dorsey said. "Our mission is to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone who lives, works, or visits our city." The chief gave recent examples of misinformation and misidentification. He said three uniformed police officers working a burglary and trespassing investigation were said on social media to be "knocking door-to-door, asking for immigration paperwork and citizenship, and that just simply isn't true," Dorsey said. He also said there have been undercover officers working criminal investigations that have been surrounded by community members who think they are conducting immigration enforcement. "They are trying to often times arrest criminal violators, nothing to do with immigration enforcement, and they are being surrounded. Their focus is being drawn away from their task at hand and it's creating officer safety issues," Dorsey said. The chief also wanted to allay fears in contacting local police, noting the California Values Act, which states, "California law enforcement agencies shall not use agency or department moneys or personnel to investigate, interrogate, detain, detect, or arrest persons for immigration enforcement purposes." "We believe that no one should fear contacting the police to report a crime, seek help, or cooperate in an investigation because of their immigration status," Dorsey said. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department also sent out a similar community message on X, stating "all white vehicles are NOT ICE." The department clarified that they have a fleet of unmarked vehicles in all colors, makes and models, "none of which include immigration enforcement." "We have had two incidents of our sheriff's department personnel targeted while driving our unmarked units and in one case they were run off the road," the department wrote on X.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- The Independent
Fact check: AI-generated Israel-Iran posts and inflation confusion
This roundup of claims has been compiled by Full Fact, the UK's largest fact checking charity working to find, expose and counter the harms of bad information. AI-generated and miscaptioned footage and images have been going viral on social media as the Israel-Iran conflict continues. In the last few days Full Fact has seen at least a dozen examples of such posts circulating widely. Both countries have launched multiple strikes against each other following Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites last Friday. We increasingly see AI-generated content shared online in the wake of major breaking news events. And while we can't always definitively say where a video or image comes from, several which we've fact checked in connection with the current conflict were almost certainly created with AI. For example, one video of a bombed city has been shared with claims it shows 'doomsday in Tel Aviv' in Israel. However, the same footage was previously shared on May 28, before the recent strikes between Israel and Iran. And there are clear signs suggesting that it was made using AI – for example, two cars approaching each other at a T-junction in the top left corner appear to merge into one, while other vehicles in the video also become glitchy and blurry as they move. An image of destroyed planes has been shared with claims it shows damage caused by Iranian strikes on Tel Aviv's airport. But, using reverse image search tools, Full Fact traced the image to a (since deleted) video which appeared to have been generated using AI tools. There are visual glitches in the rendering of the plane at the forefront of the image, with portholes along the cabin appearing in a gap where a section of the plane is missing. If you're wondering if a video clip is AI, one tip that's worth noting is that some social media posts share versions of footage that are much more grainy and blurry than the original, making it difficult to identify signs of AI. So it's always worth looking for clearer versions by searching key frames of footage using tools such as TinEye or Google Lens. When there's a lot of interest in a global news story it's also very common for us to see old or unrelated video or photos passed off as something they're not – and again, Full Fact has seen multiple examples of this in recent days. Footage of what appears to be a drone causing an explosion in a built-up area has been shared with claims it shows an Iranian drone strike on Tel Aviv. However, it actually shows drone attacks on Kyiv in Ukraine in October 2022. The version being shared recently appears to have been horizontally flipped, which is something we often see when mislabelled images and videos are circulated. A video being shared with claims it shows recent protests against the regime in Iran is also old. It's actually footage from protests in Iran back in December 2017. And a picture shared on social media doesn't show, as claimed, an Israeli female pilot who has been captured in Iran. It's actually a photo from several years ago of a Chilean naval aviator. Misleading information can spread quickly during breaking news events, especially during periods of crisis and conflict. So before sharing content that you see online, it's important to consider whether it comes from a trustworthy and verifiable source. Full Fact has a toolkit with practical tips anyone can use to identify bad information, as well as specific guides on how to spot misleading images online, how to fact check misleading videos and how a fact checker spots if something is AI. Did inflation drop last month? New data published on Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that inflation stood at 3.4% in the 12 months to May 2025. But different media outlets reported this figure in different ways – some claimed inflation had 'held' at 3.4%, while others said 'inflation falls slightly' or referred to a 'fall' on the previous month's figures. The confusion is due to an error with April's inflation figures. Last month, the ONS initially reported that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) had risen from 2.6% in the 12 months to March 2025 to 3.5% in the 12 months to April 2025. However, earlier this month it revealed that incorrect road tax data provided by the Department for Transport had had 'the effect of overstating' April's figure by 0.1 percentage point. In other words, the true CPI figure for the 12 months to April 2025 should have been 3.4%, which would mean that the figure published for May is unchanged on the previous month, not a fall. So why did some media outlets nonetheless report May's figure as a drop? Well, despite the ONS acknowledging this mistake, the figures on its website won't be updated. So the official figure for inflation in the year to April remains 3.5%, as noted in the ONS' data release on Wednesday, even though it's known to be an overestimate and based on incorrect data. When we asked the ONS about this, it told us that its policy was that CPI figures 'may only be revised in exceptional circumstances', adding: 'We have incorporated the correctly weighted data from [the] May figures, meaning no further statistics will be affected.'
Fast Company
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Fast Company
Why defunding research on misinformation and disinformation isn't what Americans want
Research on misinformation and disinformation has become the latest casualty of the Trump administration's restructuring of federal research priorities. Following President Donald Trump's executive order on ' ending federal censorship,' the National Science Foundation canceled hundreds of grants that supported research on misinformation and disinformation. Misinformation refers to misleading narratives shared by people unaware that content is false. Disinformation is deliberately generated and shared misleading content, when the sharer knows the narrative is suspect. The overwhelming majority of Americans —95%—believe misinformation's misleading narratives are a problem. Americans also believe that consumers, the government and social media companies need to do something about it. Defunding research on misinformation and disinformation is, thus, the opposite of what Americans want. Without research, the ability to combat misleading narratives will be impaired. The attack on misleading narrative research Trump's executive order claims that the Biden administration used research on misleading narratives to limit social media companies' free speech. The Supreme Court had already rejected this claim in a 2024 case. Still, Trump and GOP politicians continue to demand disinformation researchers defend themselves, including in the March 2025 ' censorship industrial complex' hearings, which explored alleged government censorship under the Biden administration. The U.S. State Department, additionally, is soliciting all communications between government offices and disinformation researchers for evidence of censorship. Trump's executive order to 'restore free speech,' the hearings and the State Department decision all imply that those conducting misleading narrative research are enemies of the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech. These actions have already led to significant problems— death threats and harassment included—for disinformation researchers, particularly women. So let's tackle what research on misinformation and disinformation is and isn't. Misleading content Misinformation and disinformation researchers examine the sources of misleading content. They also study the spread of that content. And they investigate ways to reduce its harmful impacts. For instance, as a social psychologist who studies disinformation and misinformation, I examine the nature of misleading content. I study and then share information about the manipulation tactics used by people who spread disinformation to influence others. My aim is to better inform the public about how to protect themselves from deception. Sharing this information is free speech, not barring free speech. Yet, some think this research leads to censorship when platforms choose to use the knowledge to label or remove suspect content or ban its primary spreaders. That's what U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan argued in launching investigations in 2023 into disinformation research. It is important to note, however, that the constitutional definition of censorship establishes that only the government—not citizens or businesses—can be censors. So private companies have the right to make their own decisions about the content they put on their platforms. Trump's own platform, Truth Social, bans certain material such as 'sexual content and explicit language,' but also anything moderators deem as trying to ' trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users.' Yet, 75% of the conspiracy theories shared on the platform come from Trump's account. Further, both Trump and Elon Musk, self-proclaimed free-speech advocates, have been accused of squelching content on their platforms that is critical of them. Musk claimed the suppression of accounts on X was a result of the site's algorithm reducing 'the reach of a user if they're frequently blocked or muted by other, credible users.' Truth Social representatives claim accounts were banned due to 'bot mitigation' procedures, and authentic accounts may be reinstated if their classification as inauthentic was invalid. Is it censorship? The ' censorship industrial complex ' hearings held by the House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee were based on the premise that not only was misleading narrative research part of the alleged 'censorship industrial complex,' but that it was focused on conservative voices. But there isn't evidence to support this assertion. When research does show that conservative authors have posts labeled or removed, or that their accounts are suspended at higher rates than liberal content, it also reveals that it is because conservative posts are significantly more likely to share misinformation than liberal posts. This was found in a recent study of X users. Researchers tracked whose posts got tagged as false or misleading more in 'community notes'—X's alternative and Meta's proposed alternative to fact checking —and it was conservative posts, because they were more likely to include false content than liberal posts. Furthermore, an April 2025 study shows conservatives are more susceptible to misleading content and more likely to be targeted by it than liberals. Misleading America Those accusing misleading narrative researchers of censorship misrepresent the nature and intent of the research and researchers. And they are using disinformation tactics to do so. Here's how. The misleading information about censorship and bias has been repeated so much through the media and from political leaders, as evident in Trump's executive order, that many Republicans believe it's true. This repetition produces what psychologists call the illusory truth effect, where as few as three repetitions convince the human mind something is true. Researchers have also identified a tactic known as ' accusation in a mirror.' That's when someone falsely accuses one's perceived opponents of conducting, plotting or desiring to commit the same transgressions that one plans to commit or is already committing. So censorship accusations from an administration that is removing books from libraries, erasing history from monuments and websites, and deleting data archives constitute 'accusations in a mirror.' Other tactics include ' accusation by anecdote.' When strong evidence is in short supply, people who spread disinformation point repeatedly to individual stories (sometimes completely fabricated) that are exceptions to, and not representative of, the larger reality. Facts on fact-checking Similar anecdotal attacks are used to try to dismiss fact-checkers, whose conclusions can identify and discredit disinformation, leading to its tagging or removal from social media. This is done by highlighting an incident where fact-checkers 'got it wrong.' These attacks on fact-checking come despite the fact that many of those most controversial decisions were made by platforms, not fact-checkers. fact-checkers are rated the most effective. When Republicans do report distrust of fact-checkers, it's because they perceive the fact-checkers are biased. Yet research shows little bias in choice of who is fact-checked, just that prominent and prolific speakers get checked more. When shown fact-checking results of specific posts, even conservatives often agree the right decision was made.
Mail & Guardian
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
Does Africa's supposed digital disadvantage protect it from election interference?
Data analytics and strategic manipulation have become the new tools in today's politics, even in Africa. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy, M&G With about 13 African countries coming from the polls in 2024 and others preparing for municipal elections in 2026, some analysts suggest, perhaps a bit too confidently, that African countries have been spared the worst of election interference simply because they are not yet as digitally advanced as other states in the world. But is the continent really safeguarded, or do we just minimise the effect of interference by digital technologies? As Africa undergoes a stagnation in its democratisation, increased attention is being paid to countries that still uphold democratic principles. This has prompted observers to assess how these nations are adhering to democracy or taking a decisive shift towards other Still, many argue that things could be worse if digital interference ever decided to join the party. But digital interference has certainly been occurring in Africa, just not with the same intensity or visibility as in more technologically advanced states. These states have integrated high-level digital infrastructure, innovation-driven economies and widespread access to Online platforms such as Facebook, X, and YouTube become arenas for misinformation, disinformation and algorithmic manipulation. Social media bots, fake accounts and data-driven micro-targeting are used to spread false information and polarise public opinion. A study by Using the Contrary to this, the International Telecommunication Union puts Africa's internet In Nigeria and Kenya, investigations have uncovered that Cambridge Analytica, the infamous data-crunching firm, played a shadowy role in manipulating elections in 2015 and 2017. Channel 4 News Ahead of Angola's 2022 election, In other cases, African states embraced biometric registration and digital results transmission . The only catch? They often forgot to bring cybersecurity along for the ride. In Kenya's On the other hand, countries such as the DRC and Senegal are accused of violating basic rights to freedom of expression and assembly by resorting to internet shutdowns. These blackouts are used to suppress dissent and restrict information. But they cut citizens off from critical, sometimes even lifesaving information, conveniently timed before or during elections. Other evidence of this occurred in Zimbabwe's August 2023 general elections were marred by accusations against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, including premature announcement of results and allegations of voter suppression and irregularities. During South Africa's national and provincial elections in May 2024, the electoral commission had to deal with technical glitches that sparked public worry. This included a brief outage of the election results dashboard at the Results Operating Centre in Midrand, as well as power outages during the vote counting process. Both countries encountered issues that undermined public trust in their electoral bodies. Notably, digital interference was not a major focus of concern in either case; apparently, it takes more than a few server crashes and power outages to steal an election. It is fair to say that technologically advanced states do face greater vulnerability because of their reliance on digital infrastructure and widespread internet access. But Africa is not immune to election meddling; rather, its exposure to digital interference is currently less pronounced. This should not breed complacency. Instead, African nations must strengthen their electoral systems to avoid the pitfalls that have already compromised democracies elsewhere. Thuto Khumalo and Mihle Kambula are international relations students at the University of Johannesburg.
