media literacy

AI + Elections = a perfect storm that scares the crap out of me

We may be so comprehensively copulated at this moment in time, that digging our way out might prove impossible. Brew a cup of coffee and take a breath; this isn't going to be pretty.

EU unveils tougher industry Code to combat disinformation

The European Commission has just taken the wraps off a beefed up industry Code of Practice for tackling online disinformation across the EU. Signatories to the Code — who include tech giants lik

Google Search update will provide more context about websites, including descriptions and what others say

Google is making a change to its search results with the goal of improving the media literacy of online users. The company is expanding the capabilities of its “About this Result” feature,

MIT professor wants to overhaul ‘The Hype Machine’ that powers social media

"I think that having objective sources of fact checking are important. We know that fact-checking does reduce the belief in and sharing of fake information."

TikTok launches a US elections guide in its app

Though TikTok is in the middle of fighting off the Trump administration’s attempt to ban its app in the U.S. over data privacy concerns, the company today is launching a new feature focused on t

Microsoft launches a deepfake detector tool ahead of US election

Microsoft has added to the slowly growing pile of technologies aimed at spotting synthetic media (aka deepfakes) with the launch of a tool for analyzing videos and still photos to generate a manipulat

This game uses troll tactics to teach critical thinking

The best medicine against online disinformation is an informed society that’s thinking critically. The problem is there are no shortcuts to universal education. Enter Finnish Public Broadcasting

Google’s new media literacy program teaches kids how to spot disinformation and fake news

Google announced this morning it’s expanding its two-year-old digital safety and citizenship curriculum for children, “Be Internet Awesome,” to now include media literacy — spe

Sift’s ‘news therapy’ app aims to promote understanding, not anxiety

Is reading the news feeling a little stressful today? Can’t imagine why. Don’t worry: you’re not alone. A Pew Research study found that seven of 10 Americans today suffer from &#8220

Facebook, Google and Twitter told to do more to fight fake news ahead of European elections

A first batch of monthly progress reports from tech giants and advertising companies on what they’re doing to help fight online disinformation have been published by the European Commission. Pla

Tool up for the midterms with this Facebook junk news aggregator

With the US midterms fast approaching purveyors of online disinformation are very busy indeed spreading their hyper-partisan junk on Facebook. Their goal: Skewing democratic outcomes by putting out m

YouTube is fighting fake news with $25M to promote journalism and more context in search results

YouTube announced new measures today to stem the spread of conspiracy theory videos and fake news on its platform, including inserting context from trustworthy sources into search results about hot to

Europe eyeing bot IDs, ad transparency and blockchain to fight fakes

European Union lawmakers want online platforms to come up with their own systems to identify bot accounts. This is as part of a voluntary Code of Practice the European Commission now wants platforms t

Facebook expands ‘Community Boost’ digital skills training program to Europe

Facebook has announced it's expanding a free training program that teaches Internet-skills, media literacy and online safety to Europe. It says its "ambition" is to train 300,000 people across six EU

Full Fact aims to end fake news with automated fact checking tools

After they failed to stop the spread of “fake news” around the U.S. election, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Google are facing heightened public scrutiny. Fake news is a threat to democracy, the

U.K. Kids Increasingly Credulous Online, Finds Ofcom

While there has been high profile U.K. government backing for furnishing the nation's youth with digital skills in recent years, including a requirement in the English national curriculum to start tea