Climate denial, Donald Trump’s presidency, anti-vaxxers, Brexit: you name it, online misinformation has been blamed for it. What, though, can be done about it? That’s the question we have been trying to answer.
We approach the problem of misinformation by treating it like a disease. But we’re not proposing a cure: instead, we are trying to create ‘vaccines’ that will strengthen people’s resistance to fake news and other online deceptions.
But – to continue the medical metaphor – why not simply find ways to eradicate misinformation, or at least put it in quarantine? There are certainly people who believe we can do just that. Some propose using algorithms to detect online misinformation automatically and delete, downrank or disincentivise manipulative content. Others want laws to punish those who produce, spread or fail to delete harmful content.
