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November 22, 2024
 

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Meta

Anuj Chopra
Disinformation researchers analyzed over 300 groups on Facebook that masquerade as pro-Harris pages while misleading the Democratic contender's supporters with abusive, hateful posts or capitalize on her popularity to promote merchandise.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 1, 2024
Deceptive 'bait-and-switch' Facebook groups snare U.S. voters
The tactic seems to target actors across the political spectrum, including Trump, but researchers have noticed an "explosion" of groups focused on Harris.
Outrageous stories about Kamala Harris and Donald Trump online were widely mistaken as real across social media, underscoring how content from satirical websites is being repurposed to fuel political misinformation and sow confusion ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 15, 2024
'Stolen satire' feeds U.S. election misinformation
False claims are being widely mistaken as real across social media, underscoring how content from satirical websites is being repurposed to fuel political misinformation.
U.S. voters are increasingly concerned about misinformation spreading the good-old-fashioned way — through politicians sowing falsehoods.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 4, 2024
More than AI misinformation, U.S. voters worry about lying politicians
Politicians face almost no legal consequences for distorting the truth, researchers say.
Researchers have flagged that Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter (now X) in 2022 and is a vocal backer of Donald Trump, appears to be swaying voters by spreading falsehoods on his personal account.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 9, 2024
Musk's misleading election posts viewed 1.2 billion times, study says
Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter (now X) in 2022 for $44 billion, is facing growing scrutiny over his potential influence on voters.
A sprawling, secretive influence operation is attempting to vilify Qatar, the Gulf state mediating between Israel and Hamas.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 8, 2024
Shadow campaign: Global influence op targets Qatar in wartime
The campaign against Qatar shows the ease with which a person or an entire country can be tarnished in the age of disinformation while masking the ultimate perpetrators.
A new report by international campaign group Global Witness alleges that TikTok approved adverts containing political disinformation ahead of European polls.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2024
TikTok fails 'disinformation test' before EU vote, study shows
The Chinese ByteDance-owned app said its systems correctly identified the breach, but the ads were approved due to "human error" by a moderator.
A woman walks past a banner depicting missiles bearing the emblem of the Islamic Republic of Iran being launched, in central Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 17, 2024
Iran strikes showcase disinformation thriving and incentivized on X
Falsehoods amplified by cloud-chasing accounts that feign digital expertise highlight the potential for information chaos during a fast-unfolding crisis.
CrowdTangle, bought by the firm now known as Meta in 2016, offers crucial real-time transparency into the spread of conspiracy theories and hate speech on influential Meta-owned platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2024
Meta to switch off tool that tracks misinformation months before U.S. vote
CrowdTangle offers crucial real-time transparency into the spread of conspiracy theories and hate speech.
Catherine, Princess of Wales, received an outpouring of global sympathy after her video message on Friday revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy.
WORLD / Society
Mar 25, 2024
Wild theories persist despite U.K. royal Catherine's cancer revelation
Conspiracy theorists continue to push claims of digital manipulation, cancer misinformation and anti-vaccine myths on social media.
U.S. lawmakers last week overwhelmingly backed a bill to ban TikTok unless Chinese parent company ByteDance divested itself within six months.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 18, 2024
Monsters, asteroids, vampires: AI conspiracies flood TikTok
YouTube tutorials show users how to create "viral conspiracy theory videos" and profit off TikTok's Creativity Program.
An AI-generated story about the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "psychiatrist" committing suicide has exploded online, prompting warnings from experts.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 11, 2024
Proliferating 'news' sites spew AI-generated fake stories
At least 739 AI-generated "news" sites in multiple languages operating with little to no human oversight have been identified in recent investigations.
Relatives, friends and supporters of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel hold placards and images of those taken, during a protest for their release in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
WORLD / Society
Nov 24, 2023
'You are in a safe place': Israel prepares to embrace hostages
Experts have warned that many hostages held by Palestinian militants could face a long road to recovery.
Ukrainian servicemen ride past a destroyed building in Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region on Thursday.
WORLD / FOCUS
Aug 20, 2023
Ukraine's dilemma: Rebuilding in midst of war
The World Bank has said the cost of Ukraine's reconstruction over a decade would be $411 billion — 2.6 times its gross domestic product in 2022.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 29, 2023
AI-generated misinformation likely to pose hazard in U.S. election campaigns
Technologists warn that bad actors could exploit the technology to sow chaos amid a highly polarized political climate.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Apr 17, 2023
'Monetizing hate': Unease as misinformation swirls on Twitter
Experts say content moderation at the company has been gutted after mass layoffs, while a paid verification system has served to boost conspiracy theorists.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 2, 2023
Seeing is believing? A global scramble to tackle deepfakes
Most countries appear to be struggling to keep up with the fast-evolving technology amid concerns that regulation could stymie innovation or curtail free speech.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 9, 2023
Second coming of once-banned conspiracy theorists after Twitter amnesty
Twitter has turned into what campaigners call a cesspool of misinformation, hate-filled conspiracies and racial slurs.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 2, 2023
War-themed video game fuels wave of Ukraine conflict misinformation
Footage from Arma 3, often marked 'live' or 'breaking news,' has been used repeatedly in recent months in fake videos about the Russian offensive.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 21, 2022
Twitter turmoil and staff exodus aggravate security concerns
Twitter devolved into what campaigners described as a cesspit of falsehoods and hate speech after recent layoffs cut half the company's 7,500 staff.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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