Fake news is a form of news consisting of deliberate disinformation or lies spread via traditional news media (print and broadcast) or online social media.
Digital news has brought back and increased the usage of fake news, or yellow journalism such as a free zone. The news is then often reverberated as misinformation in social media but occasionally finds its way to the mainstream media as well.
As we know Fake News is written and published usually with the intent to mislead in order to damage an agency, entity, or person, and gain financially or politically, often using sensationalist, dishonest, or outright fabricated headlines to increase readership or for changing the destiny of a nation through a fraudulent electoral procedures.
From a general landscape, The prevalence of fake news related to the Coronavirus could be used by countries to justify new misinformation legislation that could harm academic freedom due to LIBERTY OF FREE SPEECH and OPINION could be suppressed total or parttialy.
In a worst-case scenario, an authoritarian government or that has weak democracy could use it as one tool in an arsenal that it widely uses to suppress free speech, discouraging academic research into controversial subjects or that might have outcomes that reflect poorly on the government...
Indeed, Singapore already did it. They built the SINGAPORE’S FAKE NEWS LAWS: PROTECTION FROM ONLINE FALSEHOODS AND MANIPULATION ACT - POFMA and this law is strongly hard.
I'm quite concerned that other countries would also attempt to copy Singapore’s law to silence critics systematically.
However, Coronavirus outbreak showed the importance on to stem the spread of FALSE CONTENT and MALICIOUS CLICKBATES due to Fake News can be mortal enemy as well as lead to GENOCIDE.
As an example on this dangerousness level, BRAZIL experiences difficulty by establishing social isolation since citizens don't support this measure based on an avalanche of misinformations and Fake News taking advantage of the critical POLITICAL POLARIZATION.
Brazilians face an SISTEMIC INFODEMIC alongside the Coronavirus outbreak that carries a serious risk of a frightening death toll or genocide. The only reason I'm taking Brazil as an example is because it is a developing country and it is a condiction that likely it favors the action of Fake News in high levels.
Then, To understand this situation, we should to understand that the BRAZILIAN DEMOCRACY IS WEAK and it has the roots into the DICTATORSHIP, MONARCHY also the mental HYGIENIST POLICY that are very strong.
The hygienist policy brings the aggressiveness Social Policies that the formulators could not see when they use the PSYCHOLOGY or PSYCHIATRY for isolating human beings in subhuman habitations making people believing in a FAVELA'S CULTURE
or when they keep people locked and chained in Psychiatric Hospitals because they would be homeless. The scariest case was finding a 10-year-old girl who lived in a mental hospital because she was an orphan. She was healthy.
In schools, the dictatorship period is focused on economic growth and it doesn't pass by critical discussion. There is a lack on understanding the socioeconomic factors that pushed this period.
Thus, democracy was written into BRAZILIAN CONSTITUTION through non-transparent mechanisms that left the dictatorship's signs onto principles, laws and judicial procedures.
This chaotic scenario added to high taxes, corruption and the lack on investment in education run out of POLITICAL DEBATE in Brazil. The debate was replaced by FAKE NEWS and HATE SPEECHES or SWEARING (non polite words). And this is a consequence of many years without investment in technology and education. The DEPOLITICIZATION of civil society happened by many reasons as well is result of the lack on PHILOSOPHY CLASSES as the science to form LOGICAL THINKING.
The LOGICAL THINKING was replaced by INFODEMIC.
The DEPOLITICIZATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY is the fertile zone for FAKE NEWS, LIES AND MISINFORMATION such as obstacle for Social Policies or Regulation through the CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK due to turned the SCIENCE OR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES something that brazilians don't believe anyway.
Using the logic thinking makes able someone to identify that what would be Fake News before sharing or believing by how to verify the source of the news, the author's trust or to discuss a critical news requires a thinking through logic.
In the BRAZILIAN INFODEMIC SCENARIO of COVID outbreak, a large number of people believe that the deaths in Italy would be a lie or not a full reality coming from the media bringing a political coup;
- they believe that the most worldwide people dying wasn't Covid but the death should be a normal flu that elderly cannot resist;
- the false content on news is saying that young people would be immune;
- that photos and videos about Covid in United States are manipulated to cause a world war;
- that some food spices could to promote the cure of Covid.
Result: Brazilians don't accept SOCIAL ISOLATION and young people are walking on the streets because society believes that they are invincible.
INFODEMIC IS SYSTEMIC also there is idea that just a few contaminated will need a hospital.
Government officials are encouraging young people to become infected because they would acquire the immunity. This is genocide....such as GAS CHAMBER.
IN CASE THIS SCENARIO WASN'T FAST CHANGED, THE DEATH'S NUMBER WILL BE THE HIGHEST ONTO ALL HISTORY.
Fake news inside Brazil say that WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION wants bring the panic and that is why people are demanding for the media stop reporting the dead numbers but only talk about those contaminated who survived. Journalists are in the center of HATE SPEECH because they don't bring Optimism as a guide.
SYSTEMIC INFODEMIC BROUGHT A DEADLY BEHAVIOR ON DENIAL. The behavior on denial in critical situations isn't uncommon.
Indeed, it has also been the subject of discussion for Philosophers as Socrates and Nietzsche where Science doesn't belong to scenario of truth when the excess of Optimistic Thinking hides the realistic data.
So, these infodemic events are serious and make Covid outbreak even more potent because the reliable and truthful information is the only weapon against Covid and its effects.
MISLEADING REFLEX
Another example on the huge proportion that Infodemic reaches is a new virus that I have called such as MISLEADING REFLEX.
This crime looks like HAMSONWARE but it attacks GOVERNMENT OFFICERS, MEMBERS OF INSTITUTIONS or GLOBAL LEADERS by favors the political or economic groups or getting advantages on electoral procedures.
It happens in YOU TUBE, Twitter, Instagram, Whatts App and Facebook.
Last year, Brazilian police arrested a criminal organization that had members living in the United States, Canada, Tel Aviv, Russia and Brazil. The victim was a brazilian Federal Deputy who offered competition onto financial system.
About the MECHANISM, criminals create a network of You Tubers using Fake Profiles in order to create a deceptive content by to denigrate the professonal image of someone.
After the content is created by several You Tubers at the same time, criminals use Instagram, Twitter, Whatts App and Facebook to spread the Fake news. They are hackers stealing passwords and Victim's Professional identity within digital platforms.
Then, they start BLACKMAIL and EXTORTION. They are violent and using guns.
They call to victim and ask for money for stop the action untill 30 days. During that time, they blackmail the victim for hiring the criminals to keep the platforms safe. This way, the criminals will avoid another attacks by Misleading Reflex. (receiving money from the victim for long time)
In terms of MISLEADING REFLEX FOR TRYING BLOCK THE HUMANITARIAN ACTIONS, Once I was a victim and I advise you never accept to negotiate anything as well as you should call to the police. The police will identify their location and real identity. Pay nothing and let the people you work knowing about it.
Misleading Reflex is a rising crime that uses FAKE NEWS AND MISINFORMATION as a tool for acquiring money or to favor a political and economic groups as well as threatens ELECTORAL PROCEDURES.
It is a new threat for the a peaceful and reliable electoral procedures.
CONCLUSION
1. establishing policies to bring KNOWLEDGE, RECOGNITION METHODOLOGY and PROCEDURES in order to handling news to the public.
Thus, I would suggest the INTERNET SOCIETY AND POLICY MAKERS emboding this subject into the activities more often.
2. Those BRANDS, PLATFORMS AND COMPANIES who build trust with their customer base by TRANSPARENCY and FACTUAL INFORMATION that can be verified with data are expected to have the competitive edge in a world that has grown weary of the widespread dishonesty and misinformation that permeates our culture.
3. Thanks to AI, BIG DATA and MACHINE LEARNING, any company can now create more TRANSPARENT and TRUSTWORTHY SYSTEMS we will all benefit from.
4. The Digital GIANTS LIKE YOU TUBE should establish measures such as DUE DILIGENCE to become the You TUbers aware and responsible for the content also to avoid False Profile.
Maybe to avoid the Misleading Reflex Crime, You Tube could require a picture from the You Tuber holding a passport when they are sharing a content about other person.
Because GDPR and another regulations don't authorize spreading or sharing personal datas even in case of public person specially by harmful action .
