In the current digital-age that we are living in, not all information is accurate. Just like in real life, source and credibility is important in determining reliability and accuracy of information that we seek. The media are full of misinformation and reliability of any new information must be made based on its source and credibility.
In a Mozilla blog post, Audrey Hingle dissects into the misinformation and disinformation and writes that although both the terms look similar and are used interchangeably, researchers make the distinction. The following quotes are directly lifted from the blog post:
Researchers try to maintain a distinction between misinformation and disinformation. The latter generally involves an intent to deceive…misinformation doesn’t.
Mozilla Fellow Renée DiResta.
In the misinformation scenario, if someone asks you the address of a bakery that is located downtown, you may get confused and send the person the wrong way. In the disinformation scenario, you see a sticker on the car of that person that makes you angry and you deliberately send her to another place to harm her day.
Narrira Lemos de Souza, Misinformation researcher and Mozilla fellow
The distinction between the misinformation vs disinformation matters, according to researchers, writes Hingle.
Does the distinction matter?
The distinction does matter, because while all misinformation spreads fake news and contributes to mistrust or confusion, the solutions to tackling these issues vary. Fact checking might be enough to correct false information shared accidentally, but if the content was created for the purpose of spreading hoaxes or conspiracy theories, then technology platforms and practitioners would need a very different response.
Neema Iyer, Founder and director of Pollicy and creator of Choose Your Own Fake News.
At an absolute minimum, social media companies need to stop actively amplifying harmful content, and to stop recommending conspiracy theory groups for people to join. Many of the big platforms now have policies in place for different types of disinformation, and they need to enforce those — especially when it comes to world leaders or others with large followings.
Jon Lloyd, director of campaigns at Mozilla
An advertiser can select ads to show you based on the profile they have built from your data, but these same sophisticated profiles and ad targeting tools allow politicians to slice and dice the electorate. Politicians might have a divisive message that they can target to certain demographics, such as one designed to radicalize white, middle aged men.
Marshall Erwin, Senior Director of Trust and Security at Mozilla
How to Identify Disinformation?
Often it’s too good to be true, the titles are sensationalized or stir up intense emotions. Or there are no quotes from experts (with traceable links) or links to other articles and sources. It’s also a good idea to verify if the site is satire or parody.
Neema Iyer, Founder and director of Pollicy and creator of Choose Your Own Fake News
Sometimes misinformation comes with an absurd statement about specific people. For example, it might say that Leonardo di Caprio is funding the fires in the rainforest. Another red flag is that in most of the cases, disinformation is shared by unknown sources or unreliable news websites, like blogs or fake social media accounts — usually some place that you can’t check the source. If you see some absurd statement about someone, check it in reliable news!
Narrira Lemos de Souza, Misinformation researcher and Mozilla fellow
Hingle writes further that disinformation typically has an agenda, so always think carefully about where it came from and whether it’s intended to create harm.
For more on spotting misinformation, see our tips for spotting misinformation like the pros.