Event recap | Tech-enabled dis- and misinformation, social platforms, and geopolitics Event Recap by Sana Moazzam
Event description
In this special episode of the GeoTech Hour, cohosted with the Digital Forensics Research Lab on Wednesday, February 3, from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. EST, panelists examined the influence of new technologies on dis- and misinformation via social media platforms
. They covered the various challenges caused by the era of the “free internet” and social media’s ability to provide a mass audience with unchecked, unregulated content.
Panelists first explored increased internet access worldwide and the caveats on its expansion, which has helped propagate dis- and misinformation. The lack of regulation of online communities and content creation has created massive echo chambers, shifting the way society operates. Experts touched on the role of the
February 5, 2021
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a think tank funded by the federal government, focuses on conflict resolution in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and other global hotspots. (Photo by Larry Luxner)
From Australia’s Asialink and Brussels-based Friends of Europe to the Zimbabwe Economic Policy Analysis and Research Unit, think tanks today flourish on every continent except Antarctica. They focus on a wide range of issues including healthcare, defense, fiscal policy and international relations.
Yet it seems that Washington, D.C., is home to more think tanks and better ones than any other city on Earth. In fact, six of the world’s 20 best such organizations are headquartered in the nation’s capital, according to the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tanks and Civil Strategies Program (TTCSP).
Unwelcome On Facebook And Twitter, QAnon Followers Flock To Fringe Sites
at 3:00 am NPR
January brought a one-two punch that should have knocked out the fantastical, false QAnon conspiracy theory.
After the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the social media platforms that had long allowed the falsehoods to spread like wildfire â namely Twitter, Facebook and YouTube â got more aggressive in cracking down on accounts promoting QAnon.
Just two weeks later, Joe Biden was inaugurated president. That stunned those adherents who believed, among other things, that Donald Trump would stay in office for another term and that he would arrest and execute his political enemies.
As Twitter and Facebook crack down on those spreading baseless QAnon conspiracies, adherents are finding other apps to communicate on, including platforms where they may be further radicalized.