Twitter’s “Verified” Users Are Spreading Viral Misinformation
Richard James Mendoza/NurPhoto via ZUMA On Monday afternoon, as one of Europe’s most famous landmarks was engulfed in flames from an accidental fire, a Twitter user with a MAGA hat clad profile picture and over 30,000 followers hit send on a post spreading baseless rumors of arson. “BREAKING: Workers at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris…
Everyone in the World Wants to Fix Facebook. Here’s Why No One Can.
Abaca Press / AP While the US holds congressional hearings to listen to tech giants explain they want to do better, other countries are passing and promising new laws that aim to take action against the virulent spread of disinformation, violence, and hate speech. Last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May unrolled a proposal that outlines…
Conspiracy Theories Have Been Around Forever. In a New Book, Anna Merlan Explains Why They’re Getting More Powerful.
David Reinert holds up a large “Q” sign while waiting in line to see President Donald J. Trump on August 2, 2018 at a rally Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Rick Loomis/Getty Images In many ways, this moment we’re in feels like the age of the conspiracy theory—one in which “wellness” schemes are the grift that keeps…
Ted Cruz Staged a Hearing on Tech Bias. Senate Democrats Weren’t Having It.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) shows false information about Sandy Hook on Google. She was the only Democrat present for most of a hearing on alleged conservative bias in tech. Stefani Reynolds/CNP via ZUMA This week, Senate Democrats signaled they might be sick of dealing with claims from their Republican counterparts that Silicon Valley tech companies…
Activists Couldn’t Get Facebook to Tackle Its Discrimination Problem—Until the Russia Scandal Hit
Mother Jones illustration On April 10, 2018, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg did something he had managed to avoid in his 14 years at the helm of the tech giant he had built: He testified before Congress. His company had been battered in the preceding months, first by revelations that Russia had used the…
Here’s Why Andrew Yang’s Alt-Right Supporters Think He’s the 2020 Candidate for White Nationalists
Mother Jones illustration; Drew Angerer/Getty Last Month, Andrew Yang’s 2020 Presidential bid careened from out of nearly nowhere onto the 2020 Democratic debate stage in a matter of days. Until March 4, the hashtag #YangGang had mostly been quietly floating around Twitter, only occasionally garnering a peak of just hundreds of daily mentions. But on…