Stanford CIS

Sharing is caring, unless it’s misinformation

on

"Ryan Calo is an investigator with the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. He says there's a reason why false information is everywhere right now.

Whenever events unfold very rapidly, it is an opportunity for purveyors of disinformation to get ahead of the news and get ahead of good information by spreading lies. A lot of it has to do with, first, everyone's paying attention to it, and second, it's unfolding so fast that people who have good information are drowned out and outpaced by those who are trying to foment strife.

Calo says social media companies like Twitter and Facebook have taken some steps to prevent false information from spreading online, but it's not nearly enough."