Digital Smarts - Facebook Notifying Users on Misinformation About the Virus. What About Politics?

The recent and rampant flurry of harmful misinformation about coronavirus has been labeled an “infodemic” by the World Health Organization (WHO), and there are many attempts to curb the spread. Facebook recently announced that it would begin to let users know if there were posts that they have liked, commented on, or shared that included misinformation about the coronavirus. Facebook will then point the notified user in the direction of a reliable source. Advocates who want Facebook to take the same actions for political posts say this may be a breakthrough in the battle against false information. It is important in researching this topic to understand the terms when talking about “fake news”. In the language of online security, “disinformation” means the coordinated, purposeful spread of false information, while “misinformation” refers to accidental inaccuracies. This is another conversation to have with your kids about making sure they (and we!) don’t believe everything read on the Internet.