No matter where you get your news from (print, digital, news websites, social media) you must evaluate it. You need to read carefully and think critically. You need to evaluate where the information is coming from and be critical of all content.
Can you tell which one is real and which one is fake?
Deepfake Videos
Deepfake videos are altered videos in which audio and video of a real person is manipulated to look and sound like that person is saying something he or she never said. Deepfake videos, like the one above, are becoming easier to make and harder to tell the difference between them. So how can we trust what we watch on the internet? Many experts worry that deepfakes could become weaponized and have irreversible consequences. This article, Deepfake Videos Are Getting Real and That's a Problem from the Wall Street Journal, discusses how easily deepfake videos can be made, the consequences of them, and how we can identify them. A video is included. This deepfake example is of a speech that President Richard Nixon never gave. This video from 60 Minutes discusses how far deep fake videos have com.
Here are a few tips:
Photographs
We constantly see photos and memes on social media. How do you know the photo is real? Photographs are becoming easier to manipulate. Now photorealistic face generation software is so good it is extremely hard to tell that photos are fake. Try to see if you can spot the real face in the pictures at Which Face is Real? This website also shows you how to spot fake faces in photographs.
What is Astroturfing?
It is when an organization, cause, or promotion pretends to be a grassroots cause, but, in reality, it is sponsored and organized by a corporation, political group, advertising company, citizen, or lobbyist. The purpose of astroturfing is to try to convince the public that there is widespread grassroots support for or against a policy, issue, agenda, individual, or product. The aim of astroturfing is to generate publicity and sway public opinion. Many times organizations name will contradict their goals.Their names may begin with "concerned...","citizens for...", "coalition for...","committee for...." and "project." They claim to be independent groups, but they are usually created to promote corporations, lobbying, political donations, promotion, and advertising.
Things to Consider
