Browse Technical Aspect Resources

 

Brookings Institute: The Role of Technology in Online Misinformation

This report outlines the logic of digital personalization, which uses big data to analyze individual interests to determine the types of messages most likely to resonate with particular demographics. Those same technologies can also operate I the service of misinformation through text prediction, tools that receive user inputs and produce new texts that is as credible as the original text itself. The report addresses potential policy solutions that can counter digital personalization, closing with a discussion of regulatory or normative tools that are less likely to be effective in countering the adverse effects of digital technology.

 

Algorithmic Transparency

Algorithmic transparency is openness about the purpose, structure and underlying actions of the algorithms used to search for, process and deliver information. An algorithm is a set of steps that a computer program follows in order to make a decision about a particular course of action.

 

There’s a Fix to Disinformation: Make Social Media Algorithms Transparent

The author cites a number of examples and makes case for us to consider algorithmic transparency as part of our national defence.

 

Algorithmic Transparency in the Public Sector

A YouTube video presented by Natalia Domagala of AI Ethics: Global Perspectives. Drawing on her professional experience working on data ethics, open data and open government, Domagala explains the concept of algorithmic transparency and why it is a critical need in our society today. She shares different examples of algorithmic transparency measures from Europe and North America with a special focus on the UK’s new Algorithmic Transparency Standard. She concludes her module with an outlook on the field of algorithmic transparency over the next few years and suggestions on what actors in the field ought to focus on going forward.

 

Tools That Fight Disinformation Online

A list of online tools available to help build understanding of techniques involved in the dissemination of disinformation; detection and tracking of trollbots and untrustworthy Twitter accounts; the tracking and detection of potential manipulation of information spreading on Twitter; tools designed for collaborative verification of internet content; fact-checking tools; verification tools; tools that rate news outlets based on “probability of disinformation on a specific media outlet" and many more.

 

How Blockchain Can Help Combat Disinformation

As digital disinformation grows more and more prevalent, there’s one emerging technology with the potential to address many of the root causes of and risks associated with misleading and manipulated media: blockchain. While it’s no panacea, blockchain can help in three key areas: First, a blockchain-based system could offer a decentralized, trusted mechanism for verifying the provenance and other important metadata for online content. Second, it could enable content creators and sharers to maintain a reputation independent of any publication or institution. And finally, it makes it possible to financially incentivize the creation and distribution of content that meets community-driven standards for accuracy and integrity. Of course, any technological solution will have to be complemented by substantial policy and education initiatives — but in an ever-more complex digital media landscape, blockchain offers a promising starting point to ensure we can trust the information we see, hear, and watch.