Who Should be at the Forefront of Online Misinformation and Disinformation?
Misinformation and disinformation are some of the problems we are facing today as we increasingly use and become dependent on the Internet and social media platforms. We do most of our daily activities online. We communicate with other people, even with people in our workplace online. We read the news and various articles or sources using our phones or tablets. Although we still read books and visit the library, most of us rely on online libraries and search engines to look for data or information we need. We then use our social media accounts to communicate and interact with family, friends, and even strangers. As a result, we are constantly exposed to content and resources online.
Since billions of people around the world use the Internet, with the average user spending 6 hours online, cyber criminals take advantage of this opportunity by spreading misinformation and disinformation to serve individuals, organizations, or institutions that benefit from propaganda and the spread of false information. Misinformation and disinformation are easily propagated on social media because people use these platforms often.
Misinformation and disinformation are serious problems because they alter people’s realities and influence their beliefs and opinions in favor of parties or entities who deliberately spread false information. For this reason, it is important to address these problems at once, most of which occur on Facebook and Twitter, as well as on Google’s search engines. This raises the important role of these companies in addressing misinformation and disinformation.
Facebook and Google facilitates the spread of information. These platforms allow their users to post content online for public consumption. This means that Facebook and Google should similarly be responsible for regulating content to ensure that before their users can post, they should ensure that any information posted must be proven factual and based on real data or sources. Facebook and Google must also regulate social media use by fact checking and removing those that misinform and disinform. Since false information is often spread by bots and trolls, Facebook and Google must also find ways to remove these accounts.
Others, however, may stress that regulating social media use is an assault to free speech. Some will invoke their rights and freedoms to oppose social media regulation. Nevertheless, this concern may be addressed through strict regulations and laws that set guidelines on how Facebook, Google and other online companies should monitor and regulate content in ways that respect people’s freedom of speech, while also protecting people from misinformation and disinformation.
