The Curse of Disinformation

I've posted quite a bit about disinformation and misinformation; I've even set up a blog topic for tracking posts about it. 

Sadly there's more to it than just reading something online that is false or misleading. Disinformation, and the organized campaigns that spread it and often result in harassment, can have major effects on people's lives. Here are some examples.

Canada Day fireworks

'Murderers' and 'Criminals': "Meteorologists face unprecedented harassment from conspiracy theorists." 

The '15-minute city' conspiracy spreads to Canada. "The concept of 15-minute cities — where a person's daily needs in a city are accessible within a 15-minute walk, bike or transit ride from their home — is a few years old. It's been picked up by many cities to guide urban planning and design. But in recent months, the 15-minute city idea has also been seized on by people who fear it's an elaborate conspiracy to limit individual freedoms, mobility, and to create barricaded sectors to keep them trapped." 26-minute podcast.

He Wanted to Unclog Cities. Now He’s ‘Public Enemy No. 1.’ (gifted-no paywall) "Researchers like Carlos Moreno, the professor behind a popular urban planning concept, are struggling with conspiracy theories and death threats."

After Elon Musk, Joe Rogan vaccine Twitter brawl, scientists say ‘vile rhetoric & misinformation’ is forcing them off the platform. "Scientists have long used Twitter. Now, they question its future as a tool for sharing medical information."

Death threats and harassment: 2024 election workers already are scared. "A new NPR investigation shows that election workers nationwide are already bracing for threats as the 2024 presidential race looms."

A vaccine scientist says being tag-teamed and dogpiled on by Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and RFK Jr. all at once has been 'overwhelming'. 'Hotez became the target of widespread ire after he tweeted in support of a Vice article published on Friday titled: "Spotify Has Stopped Even Sort of Trying to Stem Joe Rogan's Vaccine Misinformation." That episode featured presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who discussed his conspiracy theory-fueled stance on vaccines during a three-hour episode of The Joe Rogan Experience.'

Disinformation researchers under investigation: what’s happening and why. "Researchers who study how disinformation spreads are under investigation in the United States for allegedly helping to censor conservative opinions about COVID-19 vaccines and government elections. Jim Jordan, a US representative for Ohio, is leading the charge against the scientists. He is also one of the Republican leaders who have suggested that the Democrats have stolen the 2020 presidential election from former president Donald Trump, and who have made unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud."