Misinformation/

Disinformation the Internet

 1) What is the difference between
“misinformation” and “disinformation”?
2) What are some of the steps you can take to
avoid the spread of “misinformation”
online?
Questions: 3) Why would critical times in history such as a
pandemic be more conducive to the spread
of misinformation more than the so-called
“normal times”?
4) Think of how many logical fallacies you know
and write them on a piece of paper. See if
you can look up other logical fallacies.
 • Daniel Levitin (b. 1957), an American-Canadian
neuroscientist and cognitive scientist refers to the
concept of “weaponized lies” to highlight the
magnitude of the danger that lies can pose to our
lives to the point of costing massive numbers of
lives. A historic example would be that of former US
Weaponized Secretary of State, Colin Powell’s assertion in
Lies February 2003 that satellite images proved the
existence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)s
in Iraq and thus justified the launching of a massive
round of attacks on that country. Once Americans
were in Iraq, they realized that the grounds for the
attack were based on “lies” as there had been no
WMDs in the first place. The “lies” cost thousands
and thousands of lives, hence, the phrase
“weaponized lies.”
A Link to Colin Powell’s Historic UN Speech
• https://diplopundit.net/2012/05/22/remember-when-colin-powell-at-the-un-now-with-a-new-book-on-leadership/
 • Levitin finds the use of “fake news”
problematic as it has no bearing on the
concept “news.” As we all know, the use of
“fake news” has become popular since the
201 6 US presidential elections. Former US
president, Donald Trump has been using this
phrase on multiple occasions including
during the Coronavirus Briefings, especially,
when displeased with the questions posed to
him by journalists, in particular, CNN
reporters.
Fake News
• As Levitin exclaims that “the phrase ‘fake news’ sounds too playful,
too much like a schoolchild faking illness to get out of a test.” He goes
on to suggest that it may be read euphemistically and gloss over the
fact that a “fake news” story has nothing to do with “news” in the
sense we know it, but can be an out-and-out lie as was the case with
the so-called Pizzagate story.
 Pizzagate:
In March 2016, Hillary Clinton campaign manager’s emails
were hacked upon an act of spear phishing.

Word was spread that they contained a coded message

indicating democratic involvement in a child sex ring.

A man from North Carolina travelled miles on end in response to the

“fake news,” which he deemed to be true, and fired a rifle inside
Comet Ping Pong where he believed to find a child sex ring.
Spear phishing and Whaling:
• While phishing takes place without a particular target in mind through
various methods including email spoofing, “spear phishing” occurs
when the attackers use specific information about their target to
enhance their chances of success.
• Whaling occurs when those who are targeted are specifically from the
managerial echelons of an institution or a company.
Stephen Colbert: Pizzagate
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfXWXNItF_Y&list=PLEyyWtCY-uF9xmVcbBZOQ6m2l9sDkeWN8&index=
1
Take a minute to think about the following:
• The number of air crashes have increased since 1960; therefore, it
would be better to drive to your destination, if you would not mind
taking days to get to your destination rather than hours…
• I feel so much better after taking the pill that I would call the pill, a
miracle pill…
• “Ninety percent of the burglaries which have been solved have been in
homes which had purchased an alarm system,” so if I install an alarm,
the odds of having any burglary case resolved here will be 9/10.
 What other factors may you want to consider?
• In the first case, one ought to take into consideration that the number of
flights have increased drastically since 1960 and that there are more road
accidents than air crashes.
• The logical fallacy could fall under the category of post hoc ergo propter
hoc which, literally, means “after this, therefore, because of this.” One
may be feeling better on account of other factors: more investigation is
needed.
• The ninety percent implies ninety percent out of the number of solved
cases of burglary and not 90 percent out of the total number of burglaries.
Some Myths about Coronavirus

Hot weather will help cure COVID-19 and pre-empt its spread

Hot baths will help fight COVID-19

Garlic and bleach will help fight the virus

Mosquitoes further spread the virus

Camel and cow urine can help develop immunity to the virus

There is COVID-19 vaccine out there

The following are some points to consider to
pre-empt the spread of misinformation:
• 1) Stop and think
• 2) Check your source
• 3) Ask yourselves if it could be fake?
• 4) If you are unsure whether it is true or not, do not share
• 5) Check each fact, individually
• 6) Beware of emotional posts
• 7) Consider biases
 Possible Spreaders of
Misinformation on Coronavirus:
1) The Joker
2) The Scammer
3) Politician
4) Conspiracy Theorist
5) Insider
6) Relative
7) Celebrity
SOME LOGICAL FALLACIES:
Ad Hominem
Hasty Generalization:
RED HERRING
Slippery Slope:
Poisoning the Well:
POST HOC ERGO PROPTER HOC
STRAWMAN FALLACY:
Begging The question:
Tu Quoque
Errors of Categorization: Either/Or, Apples
and Oranges…
Apples and Oranges Example:
Appeal to bandwagon:
Occam’s Razor
OCCAM’s Razor
Let’s analyze some faulty logic..
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWSN2zbydKw
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ewWFWQwlTs

• If he were innocent, he wouldn't be on trial.

• Where there's smoke, there's fire.