fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Afaan Oromo Fake News Detection Using Natural Language Processing and Passive-Aggressive
Tags: Detection, Uijrt, Fake News

The main objective of this study is to develop Afaan Oromo fake news detection system.

The designed system involves preprocessing like tokenization, Normalization, stop word removing and abbreviation resolving, feature extraction-like Term-Frequency-inverted document frequency, term frequency, and hash to know word importance that appears in the news and word appears in the corpus and N-grams which are a powerful Natural

Language Processing technique in order to capture semantic and syntactic sequences was also used. All possible combination of features extraction techniques and natural processing techniques were used with a passive-aggressive classification algorithm.

Passive-Aggressive performs 97.2% with a classification error of 2.8% which was better than ensemble algorithms like gradient boosting and random forest and linear classifier like multinomial Naïve Bayes.

Finally, a python Django was used for the web-based deployment of the model system using the Term Frequency-Inverted Document Frequency feature extraction with unigram and Passive aggressive classification algorithm.
A participação das Fake news no enfraquecimento das rebeliões durante a Primavera Árabe
By: Vitória Alves
Tags: Fake News

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Signal and Noise
By: Sid Sanghvi
Tags: Learning, Internet, Research, Fake News, Online Learning

Photo by Ray Zhou on Unsplash

The advent of the internet came with a LOT of perks.

It enabled instantaneous communication worldwide, facilitated the exchange of goods and services, and hopefully, soon, it will be the foundation for the exchange of tangible value (i.e. digital currency).

That said, the ability for an individual to tap into the sum total of information collected by human beings, has already endowed us with more opportunity than we could have ever imagined.

Effectively, the internet has become humanity’s knowledge bank. One that anyone can tap into from, theoretically, anywhere.

However, these boons came with drawbacks.

For example, even though anyone can expose themself to all information they need, the sheer amount of content has made it incredibly difficult to differentiate between truth (signal), and everything else (noise).

Thus, making the skill of doing precisely that one of the most valuable, in every facet of life.

Bad news is that there is no formula to learn it. At least, in my experience.

Good news is that I have learned it (to a modicum of competence) by acquiring heuristics.

And, I believe there is a process — albeit, a long term process — that one can follow to develop the same heuristics.

You see, it is next to impossible to identify signal from raw noise. But, what is manageable is to identify the quality of the source, from which you can derive the signal.

When you are young, chances are you won’t have the foundation to differentiate between good and bad sources.

Thus, to begin with, you must depend on the more traditional signals such as wealth, educational degrees, reviews (particularly from successful people), etc.

Over time, as you learn from these people and, more importantly, grow your knowledge base, you will start to identify the commonly emergent patterns of signal.

Thus, kickstarting a feedback loop which goes like this:
Analyzing Propaganda Similarities in Modern American Government “fake news”
By: Shelbi Beghetti
Tags: Gaslighting, Propaganda, Hitler, Fake News, American Government

Political campaigns are a strong driving force in the American government. In the article “Propaganda Under a Dictatorship” by Aldous Huxley, it shows how in modern-day politics voters chose to give power to leaders the same way Hitler gained his power. Huxley illustrates this through the ideas of Hitler never being wrong and aggressively attacking his opponents.

Often times our government today is similar to the rise of dictatorship described in the article. Huxley writes about how in order to gain the people’s following Hitler could never be wrong. I compare this idea to the glorified picture of “fake news” and Twitter slanders in current-day politics. It seems that in order to gain the vote political candidates can never admit to their errors even if they are clearly wrong. Huxley illustrates this idea by stating, “He must never admit that he might be wrong or that people with a different point of view might be even partially right.”(5) Through this illustration, we can see how our political worlds are more similar than we may have thought.

Often times American government campaigns have turned into more harsh attacks on their opponents other than the political standings they have as a candidate. Instead of what can I do, election arguments are structured based on what the other person can’t do. Huxley writes, “Opponents should not be argued with; they should be attacked, shouted down, or, if they become too much of a nuisance, liquidated.”(5) Hitler used that exact strategy when gaining his power. Through this, we can see how our voters are driven the same.

In conclusion, we see our political worlds are not too different than they may seem. In the article “Propaganda Under a Dictatorship” by Aldous Huxley, a comparison of modern-day politics is shown through how voters chose to give power to leaders the same way Hitler gained his power. Huxley uses the examples of Hitler’s dictatorship through him never being wrong and attacking his opponents.

Huxley, Aldous. “Propaganda under a Dictatorship” [“Propaganda under a Dictatorship”]. New York:

Harper and Row, 1965, pp. 1–5. collection of readings. Accessed 22 Jan. 2020
I Used To Laugh at Conspiracy Theories
By: Diane Egan
Tags: Illuminati, Conspiracy Theories, Fake News, Karma

Operation Mockingbird

Call me crazy, but I’m pretty sure Operation Mockingbird is still happening today, but only the players are different.

Back in the 1950’s, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) started recruiting American journalists to write fake news (there’s that term again) stories in an attempt to sway public opinion that would benefit CIA propoganda. There were over 400 journalists in a twenty-five year period who carried out CIA assignments.

History class refresher: the USA was paranoid about Communism taking over the world in the 1950’s. Senator Joseph McCarthy held witch hunts (also known as investigations) that effectively blackballed journalists, actors, screenwriters, and directors from working in their industries if they were suspected of either being a Communist or associating with one. He wasn’t a very nice person.

You’d think after all these years, we could trust what we hear from the media. I guess that’s why people say “No news is good news.”
The war against fake news
By: William Smith
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Apple News, Fake News

Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash

It’s like the old saying goes, “Don’t always believe what you hear”. It stands true in the 21st century, with entities intentionally trying to far fetch and deter you from the truth for monetary or social gain.

News — either in the form of national broadcast channels (CBS, CNN, FOX), Apple News, Facebook News, Status Updates and other social Activities is the most consumed form of media, EVEN more than the weather! With that much attention to something, it becomes harder to predict what’s genuine and what’s not. The easier is to see if it’s been published onto other publications, but it still lingers the question-how can we legitimize news?

As the years pass we are seeing newer numbers of fake news arise. Some that try to intentionally sabotage elections, sway unsuspecting people to purchase goods and services, scammers targeting older vulnerable people or those that give false medical advice. With Covid in the ring, this dynamic is increased as we are hearing false claims about the symptoms and problems arising from the vaccines. A scare like this can really set a society back.

Our friends and colleagues come to us about something they’ve “heard” on Facebook or Instagram Ad. Fake news can spread like wild fire and it’s even harder to put it out. The Giant Facebook even struggles stopping it from growing. With new features constantly coming out that make it so easy to share the fake topics to your network at a press of a button.
I feel as though 209Times and Sanchez have stolen something valuable from Stockton — a vision. Residents and visitors often describe Stockton has having potential — a very diverse culture and…
By: Scott ཀAttoon
Tags: Stockton, Fakenews

I feel as though 209Times and Sanchez have stolen something valuable from Stockton — a vision. Residents and visitors often describe Stockton has having potential — a very diverse culture and economy, a large water front with functioning port, at the convergence of five major California rivers, in a central location accessible to the economic and political centers of the state, with transportation capacity beyond any interior California city — yet the hope and energy necessary to achieve that potential have been undermined by vitriol, and lies perpetrated by a malevolent actor focused on an aspiring young leader who was trying to make good on his commitment to advance the potential of his hometown. Without consquences for Sanchez and other media malignancies like 209Times, I am afraid the progressive vision for many cities across the country will be stolen.
4 Reasons Not to Trust TV News
By: Mir Tanvir Ali
Tags: Politics, Television, News, Fake News

In a world that is surrounded by propaganda. We the citizens of Earth (the only habitat I know) must understand that we can’t just trust everything that we hear (or see).

I don’t know for instance of all nations, but WhatsApp forwards are a staple diet for many. This consumption is worrying, why? There is no proper board to verify all those forwards. It panders to the innate urge for knowledge (and gossip) of the busy working class.

Here are reasons, why not to trust cable news:
Spot Fake News
Tags: Spotlight, News, Fake News

Most Americans Can Spot Untrue Content Online

Foreign Actors Are Targeting Americans to Divide Us

Think Before You Share. Fight the Division.

https://honestlyspeedycollective.tumblr.com/post/637907411604291584/e-40-vs-too-short-live

https://www.facebook.com/events/414670093050866/

https://www.facebook.com/events/387265532351719/

https://www.facebook.com/events/189042722886413/

https://www.facebook.com/events/216583436680759/

https://www.facebook.com/events/2481430735493369/

https://www.facebook.com/events/2928224120738921/

https://medium.com/@towak88277/the-10-most-innovative-music-companies-of-2020-c12449de5bef/

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/preview/2396506625111456674/901587496402172420/

https://www.facebook.com/Verzuz-Short-Dog-Live-105804221411872/

https://www.facebook.com/How-to-watch-Verzuz-E-40-TOO-SHORT-Battle-105143011480540/

https://www.facebook.com/Watch-E-40-TOO-SHORT-Battle-Live-Stream-Free-100176701993152/

https://www.facebook.com/Verzuz-E-40-TOO-SHORT-Battle-Live-Stream-100570351952112/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/302978377707672/

https://www.facebook.com/Watch-E-40-TOO-SHORT-Battle-Live-Stream-104729768189197/

https://www.facebook.com/Next-Verzuz-E-40-TOO-SHORT-Battle-Live-Online-102342721768581/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/849885362465056/

https://www.facebook.com/How-to-Watch-E-40-TOO-SHORT-Battle-Live-Stream-Free-101938831810446/

https://www.facebook.com/How-to-watch-Verzuz-E-40-TOO-SHORT-Battle-101765758494795/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/149108733301067/

https://www.facebook.com/How-to-watch-Verzuz-E-40-TOO-SHORT-Battle-Live-Online-102979755035958/

https://www.facebook.com/How-to-watch-Verzuz-E-40-TOO-SHORT-Battle-Live-Stream-100415878635116/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/153459906120412/
Anti-Vaccine Organization Founder Brandy Vaughan Found Dead in her Home
Tags: Vaccines, Big Pharma, Pfizer, Covid 19, Fake News

From her Linkedin: “I founded the non-profit organization LearnTheRisk.org in response to the pharmaceutical industry’s agenda to make and keep people sick for profit — and take away our right to decline medical procedures, treatments and pharmaceutical drugs. I expose the very real dangers of pharmaceutical products and the corruption between the industry, the media, and the government. #LearnTheRisk”

Vaughans message was to Educate. Inspire. Empower. Now it is left to us to acknowledge her message.

While scrolling through Tiktok, I came upon a video with only about 1000 likes. It contained information about Brandy Vaughan passing away on December 7th and being discovered by her only, nine year old son. The founder of an anti-vaccine organization and Council for Vaccine Safety dying right before the covid-19 vaccine is being finalized for the public… that does not sit right with me.

I decided to look into Vaughan and her organization. Her non-profit organization called Learn the Risk strives to inform the public that just because a drug, medicine, or vaccine is available does not guarantee it is safe. She believes that the pharmaceutical companies profit off of their clients staying sick. So, why do we listen to Vaughan? She worked for a pharmaceutical company Merk for three years and traveled to Europe to study their healthcare system for eight years. There she learned many differences between American and European healthcare. Children in Europe were given fewer vaccines and found healthier compared to American children given more vaccines. While working for the pharma industry, Vaughan discovered the painkiller Vioxx doubled the risk of stroke and heart attack. This lead to the painkiller being taken off of the market, proving her stance that the healthcare industry fails to tell us the truth.

Vaughan posted a list of ten things to verify that she is not suicidal, has no health issues, and if something were to happen, “it was foul play.” This post is on her Learn the Risk facebook page and a screenshot is below.

This next link is a video explaining the terrible taunting Vaughan faced in her own home. From knowing her alarm code and taping her house, to leaving devious and creepy surprises to ensure she is being watched. This video has been taken down many times and re uploaded by this woman I found on youtube.

A recent article stated the death was due to natural causes. At age 47 with no health issue that does not seem the least bit convincing. The most controversial pandemic and vaccine to ever exist and the founder of THE Anit-vaxx organization is found mysteriously dead after her home is violated, posts a note to confirm foul play if something is to happen to her? That is interestly timing and I do not believe for a second it is a coincidence.

I learned this news from one under appreciated tiktok. More people need to be aware of this peculiar activity. Please share this story.
“PL das Fakes news” podem acabar fornecendo mais combustível para a polarização política no Brasil?
By: Vitória Alves
Tags: Politica, Brasil, Fake News

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Why Fake News Is The New Black, Not Really
By: Regia Marinho
Tags: Journalism, News, Quotes, Social Media, Fake News

I prefer to think that people will become smarter and they will stop to produce them.

There were possible titles, but in the end I chose the best one.

How Fake Can Help You Predict the Future?

Things You Don’t Want to Hear About Fake News.

How Fake Will Stop Global Warming.

The Best Fake YouTube Video.

A Fool proof Guide to Fake.

What Wikipedia Can’t Tell You About Fake.

You just have to be authentic. You can’t fake a smile. You have to do what you actually enjoy. ~Charli D’Amelio

The name Fake is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in Fazakerley, Lancashire.

The Roman politician and general Mark Antony killed himself because of misinformation. Really? Fake news are from that time?

Roman politician and general Mark Antony killed himself because of misinformation.

But now it’s more frequent and common.

Fake news is relevant in the media we consume. But you should not trust everything you read.

Try to search that information on other publishers.

Fake news is cheap to produce. Genuine journalism is expensive. ~Toomas Hendrik Ilves

The old traditional news publisher are always more trustful than small website that you never heard about it.

Photo from Wikipedia.

Fake news is a big thing in the field of Social Media Journalism. Fake news can be as simple has spreading misinformation.or as dangerous as smearing hateful propaganda.~Fabrizio Moreira

A “lunar animal” said to have been discovered by John Herschel on the Moon.

Fake ??

Portrait of a man-bat (vespertilio — homo).

Portrait of a man-bat (Vespertilio -homo), from an edition of the moon series published in Naples.

Fake friends believe in rumors. Real friends believe in you. ~Yolanda Hadid

Synonyms for fake

It’s man-made,

untruthful, lying.

misleading, fallacious.

mistaken, wrong, untrue, incorrect.

insincere, disingenuous, disloyal, unfaithful, hypocritical.

Fake News??

Instructed by ambassador, Brazil takes 38 days to accept Biden.

Fake news and rumors thrive online because few verify what’s real and always bias towards content that reinforces their own biases. ~Ryan Higa

Thank you for your time and attention. Stay safe.

December 16, 2020
“Munna Bhai” — “IFS Officer”. Social Media is flooded with fake ids…
Tags: Disinformation, Fake Id, Fake News

Social Media is flooded with fake ids of all sorts, including of govt servants. Recently, after the UPSC (the body that selects IAS/AFS/IPS etc) released the list of successful candidates, overnight fake profiles in their names sprang up. However, for most of such fakes, they merely copied the name and pic, and filled the details from facts an fiction combined. In these cases, it is relatively easy to identify. However, we came across a fake profile, which has gone on some length to establish credibility, and hence we though of exploring.

The idea is not only to expose, but to also create a sort of template to test similar profiles. We have therefore used this as a test case to highlight those points. For the sake of convenience (or fun) we have named him Munnabhai IFS.

Rule 1: Look for inconsistencies:

The idea of fake profiles is to grab attention. However, for any profile (short of celebrities), most of the things are routine beyond a point. The Fakes however try to add all sorts of ‘attractions’ to their profile.
Newsbreak Laugh Break (№3)
By: Susan Sassi
Tags: News, Humor, Fake News, Laughter, Headlines

HUMOR

Newsbreak Laugh Break (№3)

Photo by Abo Ngalonkulu on Unsplash

Anthony Fauci and Kamala Harris are among this year’s top mispronounced names. Other top mispronounced names include Trump, Giuliani, and McConnel. But those mispronounced words were on purpose, the most popular substitute being “bat shit cray.”

A Santa Claus costumed diver swims with a curtain of tropical fish in a Tokyo aquarium. Now there are 3,000 more fish kids’ hearts to break when we tell them Santa isn’t real.

Man climbs on the wing of Alaska Airlines plane departing Las Vegas airport, takes off shoes and socks. Apparently, what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas after all.

After his disgust with the Trump administration’s efforts to overturn the election, Michigan Rep. Paul Mitchell leaves the Republican party and goes back to selling hair care products.

The electoral college casts its vote officially for Biden. Trump still refuses to concede, as he holds out for votes from the University of Phoenix.

Visitors to the snow-covered Canadian state park were asked not to let moose lick their cars. Their vet staff is at capacity treating moose with tongues stuck to frozen objects.

California fines Uber $59 million, threatens license over refusal to hand over sexual assault data. Uber claims the data is on the way, but it took forever to get a ride because there were no available drivers in the area, and when they finally got one, the driver insisted on taking the longest possible route.

Scientists have discovered Kangaroos can ask humans for help. Which sounds cool at first, but then they asked to borrow $500 and broke your computer downloading porn.

Tom Cruise reportedly scolds “Mission: Impossible 7” crew members for violating social distancing measures. He reportedly screamed, “Show me the Mask-y!”

Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones Star, has a blunt message for Anti-Maskers: “Winter is Coming.”

Bitcoin tops the $20,000 milestone and continues to surge to record highs. Coin counters of the world scramble to find new ways to hold up the check-out line.

Police in the Marshall Islands have found their biggest drug haul ever in an abandoned boat washed ashore. Police said the drugs were incinerated on Tuesday, and the smoke from the resultant bonfire was super far out, man!

2020, the year with so much nonsense, Americans couldn’t understand it without the help of a shit ton of visual aids.
Whatsapp, desinformação e Covid-19
Tags: Covid-19, Lavits, Fake News

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Mason Belcher Top Five Insights
By: Mason Belcher
Tags: History, Propaganda, Leap 3, Conspiracy Theories, Fake News

It is fair to say that I have learned a lot this semester, taking the course COM 416: Encountering Propaganda taught by Professor Renee Hobbs. about how propaganda works and is used in our everyday lives, both past and present. In this essay linked below, I discuss my top five insights of what I have learned about propaganda through this course.

The first insight that I discuss is how the Nazi party and Adolf Hitler used propaganda during the 1930’s and 1940’s in Germany. I talk about the tactics that they use, and how we have to learn from this, in order to prevent this from happening again. The next insight that I talked about is how conspiracy theories are used to push propaganda. I mainly discuss the organization QAnon and the conspiracy theory that is known as Pizza gate. The third insight that I learned about is how entertainment is used to push propaganda, and discuss my experiences about learning about the historical impact of the film, The Birth of a Nation. The fourth insight that I discuss is how deep fake technology poses a threat of the spread of propaganda. The final insight that I discuss is how online hate groups use propaganda, focusing on the terrorist group ISIS and white supremist groups in the United States.

I cover all these topics and how I learned from them. This has impacted my everyday life, as I view propaganda very differently than I did before taking the course. Through all of these topics, the use of social media as a tool to spread propaganda comes up many times. I hope that people that read my essay come away with how many can use social media and current technologies to spread propaganda at a faster rate than ever before to a global audience.

Read my paper: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A8knxBtM1bzmvzsrmHa4q1TUibUSnRJ6bvluoyVZYkE/edit?usp=sharing
Informação: Entretenimento e Mercadoria
By: Thales Ayala
Tags: Informação, Cibercultura, Fake News, Ciencia, Conhecimento

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Populismo Digital: Redes Políticas
By: Simony Souza
Tags: Democracy, Digital Democracy, Fake News

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Iniciativas contra “fake news”
By: Maicon Luz
Tags: Education, Fake News

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Pesquisa explica como ocorre o compartilhamento de notícias falsas entre adultos mais velhos.
Tags: Fake News

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Fact check: Fake post claims Indian Railways has renamed Hazrat Nizamuddin station
By: News Vibes
Tags: Fact Check, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Hazrat Nizamuddin Station, Fake News, Indian Railway

Fact check: Fake post claims Indian Railways has renamed Hazrat Nizamuddin station News Vibes ·Dec 13, 2020

A viral post doing rounds on social media claims that the Indian Railways has changed the name of Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station to “Maharana Pratap Expression”.

Refuting such claims on social media, the fact check wing of the Government’s Press Information Bureau said that the claim is fake and Indian Railways has not taken any such decision.

PIB wrote in a tweet in Hindi, “Claim: In a viral post it is being claimed that the Indian Railways has changed the name of Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station to “Maharana Pratap Expression”.

#PIBFactCheck : This claim is #Fake. @RailMinIndia has not taken any such decision.”
What I learned in COM:416 Propaganda
By: Gavin Richard
Tags: Communication, Propaganda, Leap 3, Conspiracy Theories, Fake News

In this essay I explain what I have learned in this semester’s propaganda class and what it means to me. I have really had a fun time learning in the class and I had so many ideas for this paper so it ended up being a lot of fun for me. I talked about Nazi propaganda and how they used it to gain power in Germany. What I really took away from this is how the power of propaganda can be used for evil and just how powerful it really is. The next thing is about the fake news in our nation and also how corporations and governments control the media to their liking. What I learned from this is that the news is in others pockets and they are getting paid to talk about what others want and how this is influencing our country for the worse. I then talked about conspiracy theories and how these falsities are dangerous for these people believing in them. Next I talked about the terrorist acts that have been happening around the world for others benefit and how dangerous of a tactic this is for people to notice them. The main thing I learned about this is how concerning this really is and how these people/organizations need to be stopped. Violence is never the answer. Lastly I talked about the film industry and how they are using propaganda to brainwash their viewers. What I learned from the film industry is that people should be able to view all sides without cost or control. I hope you enjoy my writing and what I have learned this past semester.
CBSE Board warns against fake news on 2021 exam dates
Tags: Schools, Cbse, Pandemic, Fake News, Exam

ommcomnews.com

The Central Board of Secondary Education released a notice to alert students, teachers, parents, and schools regarding a fake notice about CBSE class 10 and 12 board and practical exam dates. The Board said that the circulated information is not correct, hence it would create panic amongst the schools, students, and parents.

The issued notice said, “It has come to the notice of the CBSE that on several Social Media Platforms and in News Papers dates for starting of class 10 and 12 Board exams and Practical Exams are being circulated. As this information is not correct, hence, it would create panic amongst the students and parents.”

The Board communicated to all the CBSE schools, students, parents and others not to believe in this information.

The notice also states that the CBSE is aware about the condition of the students and parents in the pandemic and the decision would be taken by CBSE after consultation with all the stakeholders and will be communicated at an appropriate time through the Board’s website.”

For official information about CBSE, students and parents can visit the official portal of the CBSE, which is — cbse.nic.in.
Not Falling for the Fake
Tags: Misinformation, Cybersecurity, Disinformation, Propaganda, Fake News

Disinformation is the Latest Exploding Cybersecurity Threat

We have all seen the cornerback in American football beaten by a wide receiver, or the defender in soccer, (football to the rest of the world), left flat-footed as Renaldo or Messi blasts past them toward the goal. We can all fall victim to a good head fake and find ourselves wondering how we just got scored on! Unfortunately, the same thing can happen to our businesses in general and more specifically to our cybersecurity teams. The recent election here in the U.S. and much of the run-up to it has brought the term “Fake News” into our lexicon as if it was something new but it has been around for thousands of years. Military planners have used it to great effect for many years. As an amateur historian, I find the entire misinformation and misdirection campaign of George Washington very interesting. In 1777 Washington, through his network of spies launched a disinformation campaign that convinced the British that the American army consisted of 12,000 men when in fact it numbered just over 1,000. This caused the cautious British commanders to stay in “winter quarters” and not pursue the Continental Army which probably would have been crushed had they been attacked. This is just one example of how disinformation is used to weaken the defenses of any organization.

I know that many of you are thinking that Cybersecurity has very little to do with disinformation, that it is more for the legal team or the marketing and brand teams to be concerned with trolls on social media sending out bad information, (up to and including the misrepresentation of facts or blatant lies), about one company or another. This is definitely something companies need to be aware of, and more importantly, ensure they have a response at the ready.

It is time for the cybersecurity community to realize that disinformation can cause major problems for them as well.

It happens when their user community receives fake security information or is dupped, usually through phishing or other social engineering methods, to surrender information that they would normally not allow outside of the organization. According to a recent article in Forbes Magazine, the proliferation of disinformation is effectively serving as a bait store for phishers[1]. They further point out that the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be very fertile ground for them to plant their insidious messages and lure many to introduce malware to their environment or offer up personal information to a well-crafted false website.

Recently with the rise of ransomware and its attendant publicity, there have been incidents where bad actors have convinced customers of organizations that their personal data has been either compromised, or encrypted, and they demand payment to either not release it or to unencrypt it. It is time the cybersecurity team understands that they are best positioned to combat a disinformation campaign aimed at their organization. There is no doubt that this is something that directly falls in their wheelhouse!
December 10, 2018 — A Short Story
By: Jacorry K. Lewis
Tags: Journalism, Politics, Truth, Fake News, White House

This year, a journalist walked into the press conference frustrated.

“Of all the lousy days…” that day was the day. She questioned routinely why she was even doing it. She wondered why she was reporting on a misogynistic Staff Secretary about to resign; reflecting on what could have been.

Senior colleagues were busseling to their chairs. Rookies orbited the rectangular layer of occupational carpet. Secret service always posted as Gargoyles in perpendicular fashion.

Resting in her seat, prepared for the written statement to be given by the press secretary, a sudden eeriness had fallen on the room…or maybe only in her mind.

Then the epiphany…
Dear Trusted News Media…
By: Bryan Hernandez
Tags: Misinformation, Trust In News, News Literacy, Fake News, News Media

As skepticism in news and trust in the news remains distrustful to everyday people as myself, news organizations have to ask themselves the question of what they are doing wrong.

It is a spectacular sight to see when the percentage of those with no trust at all for you, the 4th Estate, is at a record high and up five points since 2019.

This year has shown how non-transparent news organizations are, how alienating they can be to one side and how much bias news media have.

And when you leave one side of the political spectrum on the sidelines and do nothing to get their trust, why give up? Do you think they will come crawling back to you? No. They won’t.

According to a recent Gallup poll Republicans’ and Democrats’ trust in news have moved in opposite directions.

Republicans lead the way in distrust with 58% having no trust at all while 57% of Democrats have a fair amount of trust for you.

Needless to say, not pursuing stories that perhaps aren’t any benefit to you, the brand or your owner could be of great benefit to others regardless of their political spectrum.

It’s very easy for a news publication/organization to say “that’s fake news” or “that’s disinformation,” but how many will go out of their way to go and seek what provisional truths lie behind that particular story or that particular reporting.

Reporting what falsehoods or misleading information the report/publication has, but not giving a full unbiased fact-check, a full proper investigation or news reporting gives an alienated audience no desire to say ‘Hey, maybe I was wrong.’

It doesn’t happen.

This gives conspiracy theorists and fake news spreaders more fire power to keep doing what they are doing.

You, the 4th Estate, need to be more transparent, fair and balanced. How else will you get people to trust you?

The audience wants to know who funds these news organizations. The audience wants to know if the watchdogs of the government have a conflict of interest in their reporting. They want to know if you’re influenced by financial and corporate interests.

They don’t want “sorry it was a mistake” or a late response to a news article correction.They want accountability when news organizations get it wrong.

The public deserves full transparency in what goes on because then trust can be built, there will be more accuracy in the reporting and truth in what is reported will not be such a blur.
Dealing With Fake News
By: Tolu Ojewunmi
Tags: News, World, Fake News, World News, Verification

Fake news is written with the aim to mislead the audience. Most times the intent of spreading fake news is to attract viewers to their website which would generate more online advertising revenue.

There are different types of fakes news out there which includes: clickbait, propaganda, satire/parody, hoax, misleading heading, fabrication, biased/slanted news and the list goes on. Fake news have made it difficult for people to determine the genuinity of the information which is causing panic and fear in the community.

I will be sharing with you, ways to verify the news that are out there.👇

Ask The Expert: If you suspect the report isn’t true than ask someone who is an expert in that field. Is not everything published that is genuine; you have to do your due diligence to confirm the information that way you help stop the spread of fake news. Remember fake news takes me and you to spread.

Have knowledge about the subject matter: Don’t just click like or just forward the message, when you haven’t verified the information. Try as much as possible to gather all your facts before you share. Doing your own research is a very helpful way to stop the spread of fake news. Read verified websites, articles, documentary and journals that gives more understanding about the subject matter.

Check the date of the post/publication: Verify when the article or publication was written. Check to see if the information is still relevant and valid.

Fake Site’s: Because the site is live, doesn’t mean the site is genuine. Check the genuinity of the site, stick to site that are trustworthy. Remember Fake news comes with fake Site’s.

Read Beyond The Headlines: That way you understand the whole story and you get to see the perspective of the writer. Don't just assume you have understood the topic, when you haven't read through it.
A Pseudoscientific Hoax
By: Sumon Basak
Tags: Writing, Science, Sbk456, Fake News, Physics

Prof. Sokal published his fake quantum gravity article putting in fancy words & eccentric jargons.

Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

People have real trouble in publishing vindicated claims in a journal article.

Often legit evidence is refused for the sake.

But Alan Sokal pushed the limit & published a pseudoscientific hoax without much friction.

Sokal is a professor of Math at University College London & Physics at New York University.

He performed a small experiment with journal ethics & intellectual rigor, back in 1996.

A fake article was sent to the journal Social Text.

The article appeared to be related to quantum gravity.

But the leading humanities journal, based in North America, didn’t bother to get it peer-reviewed by a physicist.

They published it in the spring/summer edition ‘Science Wars’ issue.

Sokal burst the bubble with an interview with the magazine Lingua Franca.

He reiterated that using ‘fashionable jargon’ & weaving leftist philosophy to resonate with editors’ ideology aided in smooth publication.

The content has no real value & basis.

This insinuates an unethical practice that’s often followed in academia.

Instead of investigating facts & ideas, often these are publicized if ‘sounds & looks good.’

Sokal Hoax reminds the academic community of the importance of peer-review.
A donkey was tied to a tree on a farm.
By: Sridhar Pai Tonse
Tags: Donkey, Social Media, Dont Believe The Hype, Fake News, Pause And Reflect

A donkey was tied to a tree on a farm. One night a ghost cut the rope and released the donkey. The donkey destroyed the crops in the farmer’s land. Infuriated, the farmer’s wife shot the donkey dead.

The donkey’s owner shot dead the farmer’s wife. Angered by his wife’s death, the farmer attacked and killed the donkey’s owner.

He was so upset that she and her sons set the farmer’s house on fire. The farmer, looking at his house turn to ashes, razed the entire family.

Finally, full of regret, the farmer brooded. And asked the ghost, why he killed so many.

The ghost replied, “I killed nobody. I just released a donkey that was tied to a rope. All of you released the devil within causing so many deaths”.

Social media is today’s ghost, releasing donkeys at an alarming rate. Think before you act.
Magical Snowman Suspected in a Series of Crimes
Tags: Writing, Christmas, Satire, Humor, Fake News

SEATTLE — Police say a snowman is responsible for breaking into local businesses, setting car fires, and threatening to stab passersby with a carrot. The mayhem started yesterday afternoon outside the Goodwill on Capitol Hill.

Karen Foray and a group of her friends were shopping at the Goodwill when they came across an old top hat. The 17-year-old and her friends purchased the garment. “I recently bought this emergency snowman kit that came with a corncob pipe, button, and three pieces of coal,” she said. “Best $25 I’ve ever spent.”

Foray and her two friends decided to build a snowman outside the Goodwill. “We may or may not have been higher than Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve,” she said.

The three set about building the snowman. “We gave him balls,” said a chuckling Paul Frees. “But then we thought it was super messed up to gender a snowperson so we opted for the classic design instead which itself is problematic.”

Something happened once Foray placed the old top hat atop the snowman’s head. “Dude came to life,” said Frees. “Said his name’s Frosty and that he wanted to have some fun before he melted away.”

Have you seen this snowman?

“Fun” in this case meant rampaging through a local Whole Foods. Witnesses say the snowman screamed at anyone who came down the produce aisle. “He kept saying the carrots were his, that he needed options for a planned nose job,” said Whitney Banks. Banks says an assistant manager came over and tried to intervene but the snowman threatened to “stab him in the brain” with the root vegetable.

From there the snowman made his way back outside where police say he smashed through a window at Target. “He saw this display featuring Olaf from Frozen and just went ballistic,” said Foray. “We told him to chill but I don’t think he could hear us. Frosty just kept muttering something about unrealistic body standards and Disney commodifying his culture.”

Foray said she and her two friends left at that point. Police allege the snowman managed to get his hands on a lighter and a box of premium La Vieille Ferme boxed wine. “We believe the snowman was intoxicated when he used the remnants of the boxed wine as a propellant in a series of car fires,” said Sergeant Nicholas Corneilus of the Seattle Police Department.

Not much is known about the snowman’s whereabouts following the incidents. Some speculate that the snowman melted under the intense heat of the vehicle fires. Indeed, multiple people in the area report hearing piercing screams of “I’m melting, I’m melting” and “Oh what a world” around the same time.

Police did recover an old top hat from the scene. Still, they’re not taking any chances. “We’re asking the public to be on the lookout for a snowman, white, about six feet tall, with a corncob pipe, a button nose, and two eyes made of coal,” said Cornelius.

When asked about a motive, Corneilus said, “there must have been some magic in that old top hat.” “We’re also not ruling out the possibility that ANTIFA or some other leftist organization was involved in some way.”
Danos Irreversíveis
Tags: Fake News

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Ravencoin — Virus false-positive. Just an update to let you know that we…
By: Tron Black
Tags: Antivirus, Ravencoin, Installer, Fake News, Download

Just an update to let you know that we discovered a virus false-positive on the 4.3.2.0 Ravencoin Windows installer.

It was first brought to our attention in our weekly dev meeting on Discord.

After some research, we found that only Windows Defender detected the wacatac virus. You can verify this for yourself by downloading from here (https://github.com/RavenProject/Ravencoin/releases/download/v4.3.2/raven-4.3.2.0-win64-setup-unsigned.exe), and uploading the file to https://www.virustotal.com/gui for scanning by multiple AV programs.

Since there were no changes between 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 that would introduce a threat, we suspected that it was a false-positive. AV scanners use signature strings to detect viruses and can occasionally detect a sequence of characters that indicate a threat when there is none. In this case it appears to be a false positive. We’ve sent the offending exe to Microsoft for analysis.

We changed only the version number to 4.3.2.1, and built the binaries again, and the virus is no longer detected. You will find a couple of anti-virus programs will detect the built-in mining code, but that is to be expected.

This post is here for reference and can be sent to anyone that experienced Windows detecting and removing the Ravencoin Windows installer upon download. Once the 4.3.2.1 binaries are released later today, Windows Defender will not flag the installer.

Thank you to all those who pointed this out so we could address it.

There were rumors about KAWPOW being the cause, and from what we found it looks like KAWPOW does trigger a few anti-virus programs to detect it as a miner — which, of course, could be used maliciously to earn somebody RVN by hijacking an unsuspecting user’s video card.

Thank you to Doug for testing the binary against more than one AV. Thank you Mark for running it against lots of AV scanners.
Fake News Predictor App
By: Nour Elkhalawy
Tags: Classification Algorithms, Machine Learning, Python Flask, API, Fake News

Co-authors: Vu Luong & Viet Hoang Tran Duong

Introduction

In the following sequence of Articles, we are going to build a web app that predicts if an article is fake or real given the article’s title, author, and body. The app is built on a trained ML model’s API that we will create from the ground up.

Data

The dataset was posted by UTK Machine Learning Club three years ago. The Train.csv file which our team used included five columns. The first column was the id, which was used as an index column. The second column was Title, which included the title of the article, including the publisher. The third column Author included the name of the author, while the last feature column was the Text, which was the main body of the article. The text of the articles wasn’t necessarily complete. The outcome resided in the label column, where 1 meant unreliable/fake news, while 0 meant a reliable article.

import pandas as pd

data = pd.read_csv('train.csv', index_col='id')

data.head()

data.info()

There are some null values in the dataset, so the dataset needs cleaning.

Articles

I. Cleaning + Dataviz

II. Topic Detection

III. Three Classification Algorithms Comparison

IV. Classification (transformers)

V. Web App and Overall findings

Web App

http://fakenewspds.pythonanywhere.com/

Data & Notebooks

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0AJKXYo9Oc9i9Uk9PVA

Web App & API Code Repository

https://github.com/fake-news-api/fake_news_detection_api/