Friday 29 Mar 2024
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SINGAPORE (June 23): It only takes a total of about US$55,000 (S$76,400) to sway media consumers into forming a fragmented and negative impression of a relatively popular journalist, and US$200,000 to instigate a street protest, according to the  latest research paper released by security software company Trend Micro.

The Fake News Machine: How Propagandists Abuse the Internet and Manipulate the Public highlights how sharing exaggerated article titles on social media feeds are but only one component of a complex web of planning, strategising and collective action.

In its report, Trend Micro identifies three essential elements for the generation of fake news – the first being tools and services for manipulating and spreading the message across relevant networks, with the latest means of communication being the Internet. 

“Of course, for these tools to be of any use, social networks have to exist as a platform for spreading propaganda. With people spending more time on these sites as a way to get the latest news and information, their importance in spreading fake news cannot be underestimated,” writes Trend Micro’s team of threat researchers, highlighting social networks as the second element of what they define as the “Fake News Triangle”.

Motivations behind the entire propaganda or fake news campaign makes up the third and final element of the triangle, which could range from monetary gain via advertising, or to fulfil political agendas. With governments beginning to wake up to the detriments of fake news and their ability to manipulate public opinion, Trend Micro says social networking services are a definite target of potential new regulations, which would make fake news “very bad for business” indeed. Steps taken include the suspension of bots and suspicious accounts, adding features to allow users to report fake news, and hiring more personnel to help deal with such reports. 

“Everything from social media promotions, creation of fake comments, and even online vote manipulation are sold at very reasonable prices. Surprisingly, we found that fake news campaigns aren’t always the handiwork of autonomous bots, but can also be carried out by real people via large, crowdsourcing programs,” observes the company. “In the end, however, it comes down to educated users.” To view the full research paper by Trend Micro, click here

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