michaelmalak writes: The Colorado Senate President Pro Tempore, Kerry Donovan, is the prime sponsor of SB21-132,
Digital Communications Regulation, which if passed, would fine websites $5,000 per day as a class 2 misdemeanor if they “allow” user comments that: “…promote hate speech; undermine election integrity; disseminate intentional disinformation, conspiracy theories, or fake news; or authorize, encourage, or carry out violations of users’…
Tag: conspiracy theories
Ghana Scientist Tries Gene Editing To Create Healthier Sweet Potatoes
The Cornell Alliance for Science seeks to build “a significant international alliance of partners” to “correct misinformation and counter conspiracy theories” slowing progress on climate change, synthetic biology, agricultural innovations, and other issues. Slashdot reader wooloohoo shares their article about research on Ghana’s first gene-edited crop — a high-yielding sweet potato with increased beta carotone content. “For sweet potatoes, we want…
‘We Need to Inflict Pain’: Mark Zuckerberg’s War on Apple
When Tim Cook told an interviewer that Apple wouldn’t get in a Facebook-style data-collection controversy, “Mr. Zuckerberg shot back that Mr. Cook’s comments were ‘extremely glib’ and ‘not at all aligned with the truth,'” reports the Wall Street Journal. But “In private, Mr. Zuckerberg was even harsher. ‘We need to inflict pain,’ he told his team, for treating the company so…
Misleading Viral Claims Show Dangers of Preprint Servers, Researchers Warn
Scientific researchers worry that the capacity for spreading misinformation “goes far beyond the big-name social media sites,” warns the Washington Post. Citing pre-print servers and unvetted “research repositories,” they note that “Any online platform without robust and potentially expensive safeguards is equally vulnerable.” “This is similar to the debate we’re having with Facebook and Twitter. To what degree are we creating…
Facebook Blames ‘Technical Issues” for Its Broken Promise to the US Congress
Facebook is blaming “technical issues” for its broken promise to the U.S. Congress to stop recommending political groups to its users, reports The Markup: Facebook made the pledge once in October, in the run-up to the presidential election, and then falsely reiterated it had taken the step after rioters overtook the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, a deadly event partially coordinated…
Highly Educated People More Likely to Fall For QAnon’s Conspiracy Theories
The more educated people are, the more likely they are to believe claims made by QAnon, according to a tracking poll by polling firm Morning Consult. From Politico: Twenty-seven percent of people with a postgraduate degree responded that QAnon claims are either very accurate or somewhat accurate. That compared to 20% of those with a bachelor’s degree and 14% of those…
Why are conspiracies thriving in the pandemic?
The coronavirus pandemic has seen the proliferation of several – often damaging – conspiracy theories. Rod Dacombe – Director of the Center for Britis… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/343533/why-are-conspiracies-thriving-in-the-pandemic…
Strange death of Russian mountaineers may be due to unusual avalanche
The Dyatlov Pass incident, which saw nine Russian mountaineers die in mysterious circumstances in 1959, has been the subject of many conspiracy theories, but now researchers say an unusual avalanche is to blame Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2266212-strange-death-of-russian-mountaineers-may-be-due-to-unusual-avalanche/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
How social media can nudge people into becoming conspiracy theorists
An analysis of millions of posts on Reddit found that people who joined groups related to conspiracy theories were more likely to have faced actions from moderators in more mainstream groups beforehand Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933193-300-how-social-media-can-nudge-people-into-becoming-conspiracy-theorists/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
What Hunting Bigfoot Taught a Republican Congressman about Misinformation, Political Extremists, and Grift
Republican congressman Denver Riggleman was once a defense contractor for America’s National Security Agency. But in 2004, he paid more than $5,000 to join an amateur expedition searching for Bigfoot. Not because he believed in the mythical ape-like creature said to live in the woods, according to the Washington Post, but “to indulge a lifelong fascination: Why do people — what…