Misinformation on social media
Introduction
In the era of digitalisation, social media has become an essential part of our lives, with people spending a lot of time updating every moment of their lives on these platforms. Social media networks such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube have emerged as significant sources of Information. However, the proliferation of misinformation is alarming since misinformation can have grave consequences for individuals, organisations, and society as a whole. Misinformation can spread rapidly via social media, leaving a higher impact on larger audiences. Bad actors can exploit algorithms for their benefit or some other agenda, using tactics such as clickbait headlines, emotionally charged language, and manipulated algorithms to increase false information.
Impact
The impact of misinformation on our lives is devastating, affecting individuals, communities, and society as a whole. False or misleading health information can have serious consequences, such as believing in unproven remedies or misinformation about some vaccines can cause serious illness, disability, or even death. Any misinformation related to any financial scheme or investment can lead to false or poor financial decisions that could lead to bankruptcy and loss of long-term savings.
In a democratic nation, misinformation plays a vital role in forming a political opinion, and the misinformation spread on social media during elections can affect voter behaviour, damage trust, and may cause political instability.
Mitigating strategies
The best way to minimise or stop the spreading of misinformation requires a multi-faceted approach. These strategies include promoting media literacy with critical thinking, verifying information before sharing, holding social media platforms accountable, regulating misinformation, supporting critical research, and fostering healthy means of communication to build a resilient society.
To put an end to the cycle of misinformation and move towards a better future, we must create plans to combat the spread of false information. This will require coordinated actions from individuals, communities, tech companies, and institutions to promote a culture of information accuracy and responsible behaviour.
The widespread spread of false information on social media platforms presents serious problems for people, groups, and society as a whole. It becomes clear that battling false information necessitates a thorough and multifaceted strategy as we go deeper into comprehending the nuances of this problem.
Encouraging consumers to develop media literacy and critical thinking abilities is essential to preventing the spread of false information. Being educated is essential for equipping people to distinguish between reliable sources and false information. Giving individuals the skills to assess information critically will enable them to choose the content they share and consume with knowledge. Public awareness campaigns should be used to promote and include initiatives that aim to improve media literacy in school curriculum.
Ways to Stop Misinformation
As we have seen, misinformation can cause serious implications; the best way to minimise or stop the spreading of misinformation requires a multifaceted approach; here are some strategies to combat misinformation.
- Promote Media Literacy with Critical Thinking: Educate individuals about how to critically evaluate information, fact check, and recognise common tactics used to spread misinformation, the users must use their critical thinking before forming any opinion or perspective and sharing the content.
- Verify Information: we must encourage people to verify the information before sharing, especially if it seems sensational or controversial, and encourage the consumption of news or any information from a reputable source of news that follows ethical journalistic standards.
- Accountability: Advocate for social media networks' openness and responsibility in the fight against misinformation. Encourage platforms to put in place procedures to detect and delete fraudulent content while boosting credible sources.
- Regulate Misinformation: Looking at the current situation, it is important to advocate for policies and regulations that address the spread of misinformation while safeguarding freedom of expression. Transparency in online communication by identifying the source of information and disclosing any conflict of interest.
- Support Critical Research: Invest in research and study on the sources, impacts, and remedies to misinformation. Support collaborative initiatives by social scientists, psychologists, journalists, and technology to create evidence-based techniques for countering misinformation.
Conclusion
To prevent the cycle of misinformation and move towards responsible use of the Internet, we must create strategies to combat the spread of false information. This will require coordinated actions from individuals, communities, tech companies, and institutions to promote a culture of information accuracy and responsible behaviour.
Related Blogs
Introduction
Whatsapp is one of the leading OTT messaging platforms, which has been owned by the tech giant Meta since 2013. WhatsApp enjoys a user base of nearly 2.24 billion people globally, with almost 487 million users in India. Since the advent of Whatsapp, it has been the most commonly used messaging app, and it has made an impact to such an extent that it is used for professional as well as personal purposes. Meta powers the platform and follows similar guidelines and policies as its parent company.
The New Feature
Users of WhatsApp on the web and desktop can now access one account from various devices. One WhatsApp account may now be used on up to four handsets thanks to a new update from Meta. Be aware that the multi-device capability has been planned for some time and is finally being made available to stable WhatsApp users. Each linked device (up to four devices can be linked) will function independently, and the independent devices will continue to receive messages even if the central device’s network connection is lost. Remember that WhatsApp will automatically log out of all the companion devices if the primary smartphone is dormant for an extended period. Four more gadgets may be a mix of four PCs and smartphones or four smartphones. This feature is now available for updates and downloads on Android as well as iOS platforms.
Potential issues
As we go deeper into the digital age, it is the responsibility of the tech giants to pilot innovation with features of security by design. Thus such new features should be accompanied by coherent safety and security policies or advisories to ensure the users understand the implications of the new features. Convenience over conditions is an essential part of cyberspace. It points to the civic duty of netizens to go through the conditions of any app rather than only focus on the convenience it creates. The following potential issues may arise from the new features on Whatsapp –
- Increased cybercrime- The bad actors now do not need to access SIM cards to commit frauds over the platforms as now on a single number 4 devices can be used hence the cybercriminal activity can increase over the platform. It is also pertinent for the platform to create SoPs for fake accounts which use multiple devices, as they pose a direct threat to the users and their interests.
- Difficulty in identifying and tracing- The LEAs will face a significant issue in identifying the bad actors and tracing them as the individual’s involvement through a linked device needs to be given legal validity and scope for investigation. This may also cause issues in evidence handling and analysis.
- Surge in Misinformation and Disinformation- With access to multiple devices, the screen time of an individual is also bound to increase. This leads to more time spent online, thus causing a rise in instances of misinformation and disinformation by bad actors. Thus the aspect of fack checking is of prime importance.
- Potential Oversharing of Personal Data- With the increased accessibility on different devices, it is very easy for the app to seek data from all devices on which the app is running, thus leading to a bigger reservoir of personal data for the platforms and data fiduciaries.
- Higher risk of Phishing, Ransomware and Malware Attacks- As the devices under the same login credentials and mobile number will increase, the message can be viewed on all the devices, thus increasing the risk of widespread embedded ransomware and malware in multiple devices is and ever-present threat.
- One number, more criminals- This feature will allow cybercriminals to operate using one device only, earlier they used to forge Adhaar cards to get new sims, but this feature will enable the bad actors to commit crimes and attacks from one single SIM using 4 different devices.
- Rise in Digital Footprint- As the number of devices increases, the users will generate more digital footprints. As a tech giant, Meta will have access to a bigger database, which increases the risk of data breaches by third-party actors.
Conclusion
In the fast-paced digital world, it is important to remain updated about new software, technologies and policies for our applications or forms of tech. This was a long-awaited feature from WhatsApp, and its value of it doesn’t lie in technological advancement only but also in the formulation of policies to govern this technology towards the trust and safety aspect of users. The platforms, in synergy with the policy makers, need to create a robust framework to accommodate the new features and add-ons on apps vehicle, staying in compliance with the laws of the land. Awareness about new features and vulnerabilities is a must for all netizens, and it is a shared responsibility for all netizens to spread the word about safety and security mechanisms.
Amid the popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s announcement of introducing its own Artificial Intelligence chatbot called Bard, there has been much discussion over how such tools can impact India at a time when the country is aiming for an AI revolution.
During the Budget Session, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman talked about AI, while her colleague, Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar discussed it at the India Stack Developer Conference.
While Sitharaman stated that the government will establish three centres of excellence in AI in the country, Chandrashekhar at the event mentioned that India Stack, which includes digital solutions like Aadhaar, Digilocker and others, will become more sophisticated over time with the inclusion of AI.
As AI chatbots become the buzzword, News18 discusses with experts how such tech tools will impact India.
AI IN INDIA
Many experts believe that in a country like India, which is extremely diverse in nature and has a sizeable population, the introduction of technologies and their right adoption can bring a massive digital revolution.
For example, Manoj Gupta, Cofounder of Plotch.ai, a full-stack AI-enabled SaaS product, told News18 that Bard is still experimental and not open to everyone to use while ChatGPT is available and can be used to build applications on top of it.
He said: “Conversational chatbots are interesting since they have the potential to automate customer support and assisted buying in e-commerce. Even simple banking applications can be built that can use ChatGPT AI models to answer queries like bank balance, service requests etc.”
According to him, such tools could be extremely useful for people who are currently excluded from the digital economy due to language barriers.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & IT, has also talked about using such tools to reduce communication issues. At World Economic Forum in Davos, he said: “We integrated our Bhashini language AI tool, which translates from one Indian language to another Indian language in real-time, spoken and text everything. We integrated that with ChatGPT and are seeing very good results.”
‘DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD’
Sundar Balasubramanian, Managing Director, India & SAARC, at Check Point Software, told News18 that generative AI like ChatGPT is a “double-edged sword”.
According to him, used in the right way, it can help developers write and fix code quicker, enable better chat services for companies, or even be a replacement for search engines, revolutionising the way people search for information.
“On the flip side, hackers are also leveraging ChatGPT to accelerate their bad acts and we have already seen examples of such exploitations. ChatGPT has lowered the bar for novice hackers to enter the field as they are able to learn quicker and hack better through asking the AI tool for answers,” he added.
Balasubramanian also stated that CPR has seen the quality of phishing emails improve tremendously over the past 3 months, making it increasingly difficult to discern between legitimate sources and a targeted phishing scam.
“Despite the emergence of the use of generative AI impacting cybercrime, Check Point is continually reminding organisations and individuals of the significance of being vigilant as ChatGPT and Codex become more mature, it can affect the threat landscape, for both good and bad,” he added.
While the real-life applications of ChatGPT include several things ranging from language translation to explaining tricky math problems, Balasubramanian said it can also be used for making the work of cyber researchers and developers more efficient.
“Generative AI or tools like ChatGPT can be used to detect potential threats by analysing large amounts of data and identifying patterns that may indicate malicious activity. This can help enterprises quickly identify and respond to a potential threat before it escalates to something more,” he added.
POSITIVE FACTORS
Major Vineet Kumar, Founder and Global President of CyberPeace Foundation, believes that the deployment of AI chatbots has proven to be highly beneficial in India, where a booming economy and increasing demand for efficient customer service have led to a surge in their use. According to him, both ChatGPT and Bard have the potential to bring significant positive change to various industries and individuals in India.
“ChatGPT has already made an impact by revolutionising customer service, providing instant and accurate support, and reducing wait time. It has automated tedious and complicated tasks for businesses and educational institutions, freeing up valuable time for more significant activities. In the education sector, ChatGPT has also improved learning experiences by providing quick and reliable information to students and educators,” he added.
He also said there are several possible positive impacts that the AI chatbots, ChatGPT and Bard, could have in India and these include improved customer experience, increased productivity, better access to information, improved healthcare, improved access to education and better financial services.
Reference Link : https://www.news18.com/news/explainers/confused-about-chatgpt-bard-experts-tell-news18-how-openai-googles-ai-chatbots-may-impact-india-7026277.html
Introduction
In a distressing incident that highlights the growing threat of cyber fraud, a software engineer in Bangalore fell victim to fraudsters who posed as police officials. These miscreants, operating under the guise of a fake courier service and law enforcement, employed a sophisticated scam to dupe unsuspecting individuals out of their hard-earned money. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, as several cases of similar fraud have been reported recently in Bangalore and other cities. It is crucial for everyone to be aware of these scams and adopt preventive measures to protect themselves.
Bangalore Techie Falls Victim to ₹33 Lakh
The software engineer received a call from someone claiming to be from FedEx courier service, informing him that a parcel sent in his name to Taiwan had been seized by the Mumbai police for containing illegal items. The call was then transferred to an impersonator posing as a Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), who alleged that a money laundering case had been registered against him. The fraudsters then coerced him into joining a Skype call for verification purposes, during which they obtained his personal details, including bank account information.
Under the guise of verifying his credentials, the fraudsters manipulated him into transferring a significant amount of money to various accounts. They assured him that the funds would be returned after the completion of the procedure. However, once the money was transferred, the fraudsters disappeared, leaving the victim devastated and financially drained.
Best Practices to Stay Safe
- Be vigilant and skeptical: Maintain a healthy level of skepticism when receiving unsolicited calls or messages, especially if they involve sensitive information or financial matters. Be cautious of callers pressuring you to disclose personal details or engage in immediate financial transactions.
- Verify the caller’s authenticity: If someone claims to represent a legitimate organisation or law enforcement agency, independently verify their credentials. Look up the official contact details of the organization or agency and reach out to them directly to confirm the authenticity of the communication.
- Never share sensitive information: Avoid sharing personal information, such as bank account details, passwords, or Aadhaar numbers, over the phone or through unfamiliar online platforms. Legitimate organizations will not ask for such information without proper authentication protocols.
- Use secure communication channels: When communicating sensitive information, prefer secure platforms or official channels that provide end-to-end encryption. Avoid switching to alternative platforms or applications suggested by unknown callers, as fraudsters can exploit these.
- Educate yourself and others: Stay informed about the latest cyber fraud techniques and scams prevalent in your region. Share this knowledge with family, friends, and colleagues to create awareness and prevent them from falling victim to similar schemes.
- Implement robust security measures: Keep your devices and software updated with the latest security patches. Utilize robust anti-virus software, firewalls, and spam filters to safeguard against malicious activities. Regularly review your financial statements and account activity to detect any unauthorized transactions promptly.
Conclusion:
The incident involving the Bangalore techie and other victims of cyber fraud highlights the importance of remaining vigilant and adopting preventive measures to safeguard oneself from such scams. It is disheartening to see individuals falling prey to impersonators who exploit their trust and manipulate them into sharing sensitive information. By staying informed, exercising caution, and following best practices, we can collectively minimize the risk and protect ourselves from these fraudulent activities. Remember, the best defense against cyber fraud is a well-informed and alert individual.
