From THE LANCET: Disinformation is a societal threat

[mainer]

Health misinformation (false or misleading data shared unintentionally) and disinformation (deliberately deceptive information) are not new, but the COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point. The sense of anxiety and urgency, coupled with the rise in the use of social media and politically charged interpretations of the pandemic, fostered the spread of a series of misleading claims about the virus and medical countermeasures. Health misinformation was weaponised as propaganda, exploiting fear, undermining public trust, and hindering collective action in critical moments. Today, misleading social media content pervades information on cancer prevention and treatment; can lead patients to abandon evidence-based treatments in favour of influencer-backed alternatives; downplays the seriousness of mental health conditions; and promotes unregulated supplements claiming to work for everything from weight loss to reversal of ageing. Disinformation has become a deliberate instrument to attack and discredit scientists and health professionals for political gains. The effects are destructive and damaging to public health.

The sense that this threat is not being taken seriously enough by technology companies is exemplified by Meta's recent decision to end fact-checking. Facebook (like other social networks) was already a major source of health misinformation, but although fact-checking cannot fully eliminate inaccurate material, it makes a difference, and its removal opens the floodgates for harmful content. Because misinformation often spreads faster than facts, it is essential that facts are conveyed in a manner that leaves no space for misinterpretation. Mark Zuckerberg's announcement is part of a trend of rolling back oversight that can leave the impression that the battle over the facts is being lost. Xavier Becerra, who led the US Department of Health and Human Services, says federal agencies are outmatched by “instantaneous information and disinformation”...
(snip)
Misinformation and disinformation can no longer be viewed simply as an academic nuisance, but rather they are a societal threat. Only if we recognise that threat and act proportionately can we respond to the danger and combat the tide of misinformation and disinformation that has the potential to seriously undermine public health.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2825%2900094-7/fulltext?dgcid=bluesky_organic_eds25_lancet

[CrispyQ]

1. I agree with this commentary!!

I no longer think misogyny & racism were the main reasons Harris lost. I think it was mis/disinformation. Fuck the damned pundits on TV trying to figure out the cause of her loss when they were the cause. Yes, even MSNBC.

[Silent Type]

2. Unfortunately, freedom of speech has produced bad outcomes for a long time. Not sure how we stop stuff

we don't like.

In my opinion, as long as we can reply to info we don't like or outright lies, that's about as good as we can do.