Hacker News with Generative AI: Misinformation

Experts urge caution over use of Chinese AI DeepSeek (theguardian.com)
Experts have urged caution over rapidly embracing the Chinese artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek, citing concerns about it spreading misinformation and how the Chinese state might exploit users’ data.
Artificial Intelligence, China, Data Privacy, Misinformation
5 points by devonnull 5 hours ago | 4 comments
Fake CBC ads have flooded X with sketchy headlines. We looked for the source (cbc.ca)
Ads featuring fake CBC articles have inundated the social media platform X in recent weeks. The ads are designed to lure Canadians into a sophisticated scam that uses Russian internet infrastructure, CBC News has found.
Social Media, Misinformation, Scams, Canada
18 points by jaredwiener 1 day ago | 3 comments
Yes, Some Vaccines Contain Aluminum. That's a Good Thing (nytimes.com)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has often trained his criticisms of vaccines on a common ingredient: aluminum, which he has suggested is responsible for a litany of childhood ailments, including food allergies, autism and depression.
Vaccines, Health, Science, Misinformation
10 points by doener 5 days ago | 8 comments
Meta addresses claims it forced users to follow President Trump (cbsnews.com)
Meta is denying claims circulating on social media that it forced Facebook and Instagram users to follow President Trump's official accounts, saying the changes some users noticed were standard practices tied to the transition of the POTUS account from the previous administration to the incoming one.
Social Media, Politics, Misinformation, Facebook, Instagram
6 points by eigenhombre 6 days ago | 2 comments
Right populists deliberately undermining democracy with misinformation (uva.nl)
The spread of misinformation has emerged as a major concern in recent years. While research has long examined misinformation as a phenomenon resulting from the rise of social media, a new study from the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam now suggests that misinformation should be understood as the result of a political strategy pursued by radical-right populist parties. The research was published in the International Journal of Press/Politics.
Politics, Misinformation, Democracy, Social Media
9 points by nabla9 6 days ago | 0 comments
Urban legend: I think there is a world market for maybe five computers (geekhistory.com)
An internet search of the phrase "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers" will produce dozens of websites claiming those were the words of IBM Chairman Thomas Watson.
Computer History, Business History, Technology, Misinformation
130 points by bschne 6 days ago | 73 comments
Bambu Lab - Setting the Record Straight About Our Security Update (bambulab.com)
Since announcing our security enhancement for X-series printers, we’ve seen a mix of valuable feedback and unfortunate misinformation circulating online.
Security, Misinformation, 3D Printing
65 points by reimertz 8 days ago | 116 comments
Climate misinformation is rife on social media – and poised to get worse (theconversation.com)
The decision by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to end its fact-checking program and otherwise reduce content moderation raises the question of what content on those social media platforms will look like going forward.
Climate Change, Social Media, Misinformation, Censorship
8 points by rntn 9 days ago | 3 comments
The Slop Society (wheresyoured.at)
In the last week we've seen the emergence of the true Meta — and the true Mark Zuckerberg — as the company ended its fact-checking program, claiming that (and I quote) "fact checkers have been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created" on both Instagram and Facebook, the latter of which was shown in a study from George Washington University to, by design, "afford antivaccine content producers several means to circumvent the intent of misinformation removal
Social Media, Facebook, Misinformation, Censorship, Meta
9 points by DanAtC 11 days ago | 0 comments
Elon Musk crackdown on researchers who revealed he isn't Adrian Dittmann (dailydot.com)
The two researchers who helped discover the identity of Adrian Dittmann, the X user many incorrectly believed was Elon Musk, are being asked to delete more posts about the matter after initially being suspended for their reporting last week.
Social Media, Misinformation, Elon Musk
18 points by nabla9 12 days ago | 2 comments
Meta just flipped the switch that prevents misinformation from spreading (platformer.news)
Meta just flipped the switch that prevents misinformation from spreading in the United States
Social Media, Misinformation, United States
9 points by malshe 14 days ago | 4 comments
Musk Distorts Data: Tesla Still Years from Full Self-Driving (electrek.co)
Elon Musk is praising data that he claims shows Tesla is on the verge of achieving unsupervised Full Self-Driving, when in fact, it shows it is still years away and he is misrepresenting it.
Tesla, Autonomous Vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, Elon Musk, Misinformation
21 points by belter 14 days ago | 19 comments
The people fighting to get through to anti-science Americans (theguardian.com)
As science misinformation takes hold in the White House, those seeking to set the record straight need to meet people where they are
Science, Politics, Misinformation, Public Discourse
20 points by rntn 15 days ago | 13 comments
Very Wrong Math (charlespetzold.com)
The difference between misinformation and disinformation is the difference between ignorance and malice. Trolling is somewhat different, incorporating an element of provocation and narcissism. But what the hell is this?
Mathematics, Misinformation, Trolling, Language
192 points by breadbox 18 days ago | 105 comments
Musk floods X with spending bill misinformation (thehill.com)
Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk unleashed a flood of misinformation about Congress’s end-of-year funding deal Wednesday, as he pushed Republicans to torpedo the stopgap bill.
Politics, Misinformation, Elon Musk, Social Media
17 points by petee 40 days ago | 6 comments
We Looked at 78 Election Deepfakes. Political Misinfo Is Not an AI Problem (aisnakeoil.com)
AI-generated misinformation was one of the top concerns during the 2024 U.S. presidential election. In January 2024, the World Economic Forum claimed that “misinformation and disinformation is the most severe short-term risk the world faces” and that “AI is amplifying manipulated and distorted information that could destabilize societies.” News headlines about elections in 2024 tell a similar story:
Election Integrity, Artificial Intelligence, Misinformation, Politics
7 points by rbanffy 43 days ago | 0 comments
BBC complains to Apple over misleading shooting headline (bbc.com)
The BBC has complained to Apple after the tech giant's new iPhone feature generated a false headline about a high-profile murder in the United States.
News, Apple, Technology, Misinformation
9 points by mandeepj 44 days ago | 0 comments
A simple math error sparked a panic about black plastic kitchen utensils (nationalpost.com)
The simple arithmetic error that unnecessarily sent countless plastic spatulas into the trash over a toxic chemical scare came to light a few days ago as Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, sat reading a research paper in his office in the Otto Maass Chemistry building on Montreal’s Sherbrooke Street.
Science, Misinformation, Consumer Safety
141 points by IndrekR 47 days ago | 176 comments
A simple math error sparked a panic about black plastic kitchen utensils (nationalpost.com)
The simple arithmetic error that unnecessarily sent countless plastic spatulas into the trash over a toxic chemical scare came to light a few days ago as Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, sat reading a research paper in his office in the Otto Maass Chemistry building on Montreal’s Sherbrooke Street.
Science, Misinformation, Consumer Products, Chemistry
16 points by cpncrunch 48 days ago | 0 comments
Coast Guard Ship Stalked by Unidentified craft, Iran Mothership Claim Denied (twz.com)
While a credible national security issue appears to be unfolding in New Jersey, erroneous drone reports are being peddled, fueling hysteria.
Coast Guard, Military, International Relations, Unidentified Objects, Misinformation
19 points by alchemist1e9 48 days ago | 5 comments
Misinformation fuels outrage and mindless social-media shares – study (kellogg.northwestern.edu)
Misinformation fuels outrage—which in turn leads to mindless social-media shares, a new study finds.
Misinformation, Social Media, Psychology, Research, Social Sciences
84 points by gnabgib 51 days ago | 80 comments
"AI pimping" accounts are exploding on social media (marketplace.org)
People behind the accounts paste AI-generated faces on the bodies of real women. There too many to track, says 404 Media's Jason Koebler.
Artificial Intelligence, Social Media, Online Safety, Misinformation
6 points by toomuchtodo 54 days ago | 0 comments
60k people deactivated their X accounts on average each day in one week alone (londonherald.co.uk)
After Elon Musk’s failure to combat misinformation and extremism on X, formerly Twitter, users are continuing to leave the social media platform in a mass exodus.
Social Media, Twitter, Elon Musk, Misinformation, Censorship
28 points by doener 54 days ago | 50 comments
Lies, Damned Lies, and Elon Musk (techdirt.com)
What do you do when the misinformation is coming from inside the house?
Misinformation, Elon Musk, Technology, Social Media
18 points by latexr 61 days ago | 2 comments
How the far right is weaponising AI-generated content in Europe (theguardian.com)
From fake images designed to cause fears of an immigrant “invasion” to other demonisation campaigns targeted at leaders such as Emmanuel Macron, far-right parties and activists across western Europe are at the forefront of the political weaponisation of generative artificial intelligence technology.
Politics, Artificial Intelligence, Europe, Far Right, Misinformation
11 points by isaacfrond 62 days ago | 1 comments
Misinformation expert cites non-existent sources in Minnesota deep fake case (minnesotareformer.com)
A leading misinformation expert is being accused of citing non-existent sources to defend Minnesota’s new law banning election misinformation.
Misinformation, Law, Politics, Minnesota, Deepfakes
6 points by richrichie 65 days ago | 1 comments
2007 Boston Mooninite Panic (wikipedia.org)
On the morning of January 31, 2007, the Boston Police Department and the Boston Fire Department mistakenly identified battery-powered LED placards depicting the Mooninites, characters from the Adult Swim animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force, as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), leading to a massive panic.
Boston, Police, Misinformation, Panic
201 points by black6 66 days ago | 128 comments
Misinformation expert cites non-existent sources in Minnesota deep fake case (minnesotareformer.com)
A leading misinformation expert is being accused of citing non-existent sources to defend Minnesota’s new law banning election misinformation.
Misinformation, Law, Politics, Minnesota, Journalism
10 points by danso 68 days ago | 1 comments
Brandolini's Law (wikipedia.org)
Brandolini's law, also known as the bullshit asymmetry principle, is an internet adage coined in 2013 by Alberto Brandolini, an Italian programmer, that emphasizes the effort of debunking misinformation, in comparison to the relative ease of creating it in the first place.
Misinformation, Internet Culture, Social Media, Programming
15 points by throw0101c 71 days ago | 3 comments
Grok labels Musk as one of the most significant spreaders of misinformation on X (fortune.com)
Elon Musk might be in charge of the business of Grok, but the artificial intelligence has seemingly gone into business for itself, labeling Musk as one of the worst offenders when it comes to spreading misinformation online.
Artificial Intelligence, Social Media, Misinformation, Elon Musk
18 points by croes 73 days ago | 0 comments