Prebunking
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Be S.U.R.E. before you share
“Unknown Contamination in Bubble Tea!”
“New Flu Strain Sparks Health Emergency in Singapore”
“Shopping Mall Roof Has Collapsed”
With fake news spreading unchecked everywhere, you can do your part to stop it from going viral.
Start by checking the source and making sure it is trustworthy. Understand what you read and that the facts are clearly stated. Do your research and compare the news with reliable sources. Finally, evaluate your findings to exercise fair judgement.
Read the articles about fake health advisories and the darker side of generative AI below.
POSTERS
Download the posters here:
Poster 1: "Bubble Tea Contamination"
Poster 2: "Fake Health Advisory"
Poster 3: "Building Collapse Rumour"
VIDEO
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What is prebunking?
What is "prebunking"?
You may be familiar with the concept of “debunking” falsehoods, and websites like AFP Factcheck, Reuters Fact Check orFactually which counter misinformation and disinformation using facts and counterarguments.
Prebunking works differently. It involves being educated about misinformation beforehand, to instill a critical and awareness-driven mindset and to build media literacy. We can compare this to inoculation, or a vaccine against a disease. Essentially, prebunking prevents us from falling for misinformation in the first place.
Prebunking comes in different forms. Google has produced a series of videos which focus on different techniques used, like scapegoating, false comparisons and exaggeration. The other category would be online games about fake news, such as Bad News, as reported in the media.
Robert the Otter comic
Still unsure about prebunking? Let Robert the Otter explain it to you in this comic, available in Facebook and Instagram (see below)
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The Influenza This Time Is Serious
In January 2020, a fake health advisory was circulated on alternative news sites, purportedly from the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH). It went viral over many social media platforms and caused major concern and confusion in the community.
The advice claimed that the outbreak of the flu virus at that period was more severe than expected and that Singaporeans should take extra protection against influenza. It came with unproven examples on what should be done to avoid getting infected. On top of all these, there were no relevant authority or reliable sources cited in the advice. In a statement published in The Straits Times, MOH debunked the contents and made it clear that they did not issue the advisory.
THE SPREAD OF FAKE NEWS
Health-related falsehoods are rampant on digital and social media platforms. They are spread with the deliberate intent to mislead and deceive, to cause undue worry and panic, preying on public fear.
IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA ALGORITHM
Today, we are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information over social platforms, which we often end up sharing with others. Most of the time the content is harmless, but we also share what we think is important without checking their authenticity. This is how fake news thrives and spreads.
What drives this rapid spread is algorithm. Behind every post, video or story that is shared on the internet, there is an algorithm designed to enhance the user experience. The more you search for information on the web, the better the algorithms get at generating data it believes is suitable for you, as it focuses on your profile, specifically your interests.
This rising trend has swept the internet. High-tech giants and many other businesses are now doing this invisible, algorithmic editing of the web to personalise information that fits you. For example, if you and a friend were to search for the same topic on the web, your results will vary, depending on the browser you use, the computer you’re on, your location — all to customise your query results. Your browsing can give rise to fake news being a part of your search results, depending on what the algorithms have picked for you.
THE DAMAGING EFFECTS OF DISINFORMATION
Online falsehoods can have a harmful impact on human lives — social, political, emotional and economic. Businesses can shut down; lives can be ruined, all because of some false story going around the social networks.
In the second quarter of 2018, fake news had caused the death of two young and well-educated men – Nilotpal Das, a 29-year old musician and his businessman friend, Abhijeet Nath, 30. A smartphone footage of them, blood-soaked and pleading for their lives were shared on popular social media and messaging platforms before they succumbed to their injuries.
Sadly, these two men were victims of viral rumours about child traffickers that had spread through social media in that area. Crazed villagers had attacked them without verifying the facts. Indian officials blamed a messaging platform, with over 200 million Indian users, for the “irresponsible and explosive messages”. The incident highlights the dangerous consequences of misinformation and the need for individuals and platforms to take responsibility for the information they share.
To stop fake news from causing harm, here are some recommended steps from NLB that you can take to prevent it from spreading:
1. Check if the news comes from relevant experts or a trusted site.
2.Think of the consequences as the news you share may cause harm in your community.
3.Search trusted sites and check with experts or authorities.
4.Always consider the implications. If still doubtful, avoid sharing.
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Generative AI And The Rise Of Disinformation
Donald Trump arrested! Fake images of former President of the United States, Donald Trump involved in a skirmish with New York Police were shared on social media sites and messaging platforms on March 23, 2023. These online falsehoods, created by artificial intelligence (AI) image generators, show how vulnerable we are to generative AI.
Image source: BBC
Eliot Higgins, the co-founder of the investigative journalism group Bellingcat, generated these images to play off the public’s expectation of Trump’s detention. They were viewed more than 5 million times but weren’t labelled as fake. Higgins was subsequently banned from using Midjourney — the tool he had used to generate the artificially manipulated pictures that many couldn’t distinguish from reality.
What is Generative AI?
This is a category of artificial intelligence algorithms that continuously generate data based on the ones they have been modelled on. It is an advanced system that creates new content in the form of images, text, audio and more, as opposed to the traditional system that recognises only patterns and make predictions based on them.
Generative AI has an expanded range of applications, such as:
- Images — new images can be recreated based on existing ones, for example a person’s face or existing scenery
- Text — it can generate news articles, poems, scripts and more, as well as the translation of many languages
- Audio — can generate new music, sound effects and manipulate even voices to sound exactly the same as the original
This new technology can have a positive impact on our lives — automating time-consuming tasks to helping us make more informed decisions by analysing huge chunks of data faster. This frees up our time to focus on our priorities. In fact, it can revolutionise industries like education with the amazing things it can do.
AI as Partners in Education
Today, online learning enables students to learn how to integrate online information in schools. In fact, the Internet has become a powerful tool to circumvent the restrictions of classroom time and help students become independent learners and critical thinkers.
The Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore, has launched programmes to guide teachers in schools and institutes of higher learning on how to use artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT to enhance learning, given that these tools are likely to become widespread over time. Students will also be taught to understand how AI tools work and learn to critically assess the responses from such tools, which can be flawed or biased, for accuracy and objectivity.
The dark side of Generative AI
Although extremely useful, generative AI comes with a dark side. People with bad intentions have manipulated this powerful tool to spread fake news, influence opinions and use malice to drive their objectives.
Generative AI programmes generate prose, not facts. Many who have used them have become confused by its inaccuracies. However, these programmes are not yet meant to be a provider of information. The algorithm used here relies heavily on writing prose that appears human. It produces these without fact checking, as it is only a creative tool — not a factual one.
The release of AI Chatbot
In November 2022, the world was introduced to ChatGPT — a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology. This chatbot allows for human-like conversations and can assist with tasks like writing stories, composing emails, essays and even coding. Users get instantaneous responses that are unsourced — sometimes filled with factual errors no matter how plausible it may sound. Many have used this technology to unwittingly share information.
Fake news is ever-present. And the rapid growth of generative AI is making the spread of online falsehoods even more prevalent. At the speed of its progress, we may not be able to distinguish between real and fake images, or videos, in the future. An example of this is the fake image of Pope Francis in a designer puffer jacket and silver bejewelled crucifix walking outside the Vatican. Many were unaware that these were generated by Midjourney.
Policymakers, fact-checkers and social media platforms are proactively looking for ways to identify and expose these harmful AI generated posts.
Here are recommendations from NLB to help you identify and stop the spread of online falsehood:
1.Question the origin of the source — are they from a reliable website?
2.Realise the impact if the news are just false rumours as it could lead to public alarm and a waste of emergency resources.
3.Check with official sites and lookout for news alerts from relevant authorities.
4.After reviewing all the facts and you still feel uncertain about it — don’t spread it.