Intentional Misinformation on

the Internet

Bronx Community CollegeSpring 2009

Anne P. Mintz

I love Google, but…

• Google is a great place to start. Never a place to end

Google's Schmidt: Brands to clean up Internet 'cesspool'

by Dan Farber

From CNet News 10/13/08

“According to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, the Internet is a “cesspool"where false information thrives.”

Outrageous examples• Hate groups

– www.martinlutherking.org– Everything on this web site is accurate and in context– Note how the pages from the links imply a connection to MLK Jr.

• Health related – Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy – http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/shortt.html– Do a Google search on Hydrogen Peroxide therapy and see how many sites encourage this procedure– Look for this therapy on more established medical sites such as – WebMD and Medline from the National Library of Medicine

• E-commerce fraud The Nigerian letter and its cousins are not new. The USPS has dealt with these since before the Internet.

• Pump and dump schemes When businesses hype themselves on the internet to ensnare investors into pumping up the stock price so the originators can sell at a high price and get out with profits.

www.mcwhortle.com

New ways to misinform (FT)Flogging

• Fake blogs can help companies get a personal voice behind a marketing campaign – but they risk a PR disaster if they are uncovered. When Sony tried to boost sales of its PSP portable gaming unit, it started a blog supposedly by two boys who wanted PSPs for Christmas. When it was revealed as a fake, Sony apologised and took it down

New Ways to Misinform (FT)Comment spamming

• Flooding the comment fields of blogs with enthusiastic notes about a company, even with full disclosure, is not welcomed by web users. When a Motorola employee commented on dozens of posts on a technology blog – each comment a plug for the new Motorola Krave – bloggers responded with snide criticisms of his spamming, which duly ceased

New Ways to Misinform (FT) Astroturfing

• A technique that gets its name from the practice of generating fake grassroots enthusiasm. One Florida company, PayPerPost, serves as a matchmaker between companies willing to pay for good press and bloggers willing to plug products that they have never used. After receiving criticism, PayPerPost now requires bloggers to disclose that their posts are sponsored

I love Wikipedia but…

• Likely 99.9% accurate. Just not sure which .1% is not.

• Most biographical entries are now monitored by Wikipedia management. Entry editors must use real names when changing entries.

• Always look at references at the end of the entry. They may lead you to the information you really want, from a source you trust.

• Click on embedded live links to be sure they are taking you to credible sites.

Wikipedia as a source

• What’s right about it? A lot.

• What’s wrong with it? A very small percentage of the content is erroneous. We just don’t know which small percentage.

• Be sure to use the references at the end of an entry.

• Be sure to check that the links take you where you expect them to, and that the sites are credible.

What Wikipedia does well…

• Review the entry on Bronx Community College. It is identified as a “stub” with basic information, giving sources. Where one statement is not confirmed, it states that it is looking for a source to confirm.

• Review the entry on Bronx Borough President. Notice that it links to other NYC entries, and review the sources they cite.

• Review the entry on Adolfo Carrion, Jr. to see how the biographical entries cite sources from media as well as other sources.

What Wikipedia isn’t so good at…

• Read the entry on Cold Fusion. Are you in a position to judge the veracity of this entry? Are any of the sources cited familiar to you? While this may be 100% accurate, how would you know?

Urban Legends

• Will give a review of the issue and evidence from credible sources

• Will say TRUE, FALSE or MIXTURE OF TRUE AND FALSE INFORMATION

• Has a date on the entry, so one can research the issue from that point onward without duplicating effort

• Has a link to the Hot 25 Legends, some of which are true and others of which are debunked

Urban Legends – www.snopes.com

Web Site Evaluation Criteria

• What you see might be what you get... just not what you wanted

Web evaluation criteria

1. Is it well written? Are there grammatical or spelling errors?

2. Is there a date on the site to document currency?

You can look at older versions of a site on Web Archive, The Wayback Machine. www.archive.org

Web site evaluation criteria

• Audience– are scope, purpose and intended audience adequately

explained?

• Authority/Credibility– who’s responsible for the site?– what are their credentials/qualifications?– can someone be easily contacted for more information?– is material copyrighted?– are links clearly identified as to authorship?

Web site evaluation criteria

• Objectivity/Focus– is the information biased?– can you trust what you read/see?– relationship of advertising to the content?– do you know where you are at all times, e.g. sites linked

to open as additional frames?

• Currency/Timeliness– when was the information last updated?– are cited and linked sources up to date?– is there a clear regular schedule of updates?

Web site evaluation criteria

• Accuracy– is the information timely?– how clean is the data? is it error free (typos,

grammar, spelling)?– is it sufficiently detailed and comprehensive?– are data and links complete and accurate?– are links relevant and timely?– how does it compare to print sources?

Web Site Evaluation Criteria

• Cost– is there a clearly stated policy?– is it apparent if it is fee-based, free or requires

registration - or any combination?

Web Site Evaluation Criteria:Design Factor

• Navigation– is there a logical structure/organization?– does the structure facilitate effective access and retrieval?– is it easy to move around/move forward & backward?– are directions clear?– is there an effective sitemap?

• good examples:– www.fdncenter.org/map.html – http://www.frbatlanta.org/search/siteindex.html

– is there a versatile search engine with tips & tricks for effective use?

Web Site Evaluation Criteria: Design Factor

• Ease of Access– logical URL?– registration/logon requirements?– minimal downtime?– stability?– load time?– text only option?– indexed on major search engine?

Web Site Evaluation Criteria:Cool Factor

• Content– you already have some knowledge of the topic• do you see content and links that you would expect

to see?• are timely issues represented?

• Design– it is easy to navigate?

Web evaluation criteria

1. Is it well written? Are there grammatical or spelling errors?

2. Is there a date on the site to document currency?

3. You can look at older versions of a site on Web Archive, The Wayback Machine. www.archive.org

Web evaluation criteria

4. Is the information accurate, complete? 5. Can you detect the point of view of the site’s

authors?6. Can you confirm this information from

another source?

Whois lookup for McWhortle