Wikipedia has joined the ranks of online platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google to take steps to prevent disinformation on Election Day.
"When we talk about disinformation, what we mean is coordinated attempts to misinform the public, to get people to think about something that is incorrect or to get people to do something based on false information," Ryan Merkley, chief of staff at the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit behind the online encyclopedia, told Cheddar. "When we talk about misinformation, what we mostly mean is when those attempts are successful and well-meaning folks who actually believe that information spread it even further."
In order to combat both mis- and disinformation, the nonprofit has assembled a special task force of technical, legal, and communication staff to provide support to the thousands of unpaid volunteers who the site relies on to write and edit entries.
"The number one defense against disinformation is volunteers showing up every day editing those articles, over 50 million articles worldwide, 300-plus languages," Merkley said. "Every day volunteers root out bad information and make sure that what's there is reliably sourced and available to everybody."
Merkley stressed that this is nothing new for Wikipedia. After two decades of building its capacity for transparency and accountability, he's confident the site can weather the 2020 election.
That doesn't mean the nonprofit isn't pulling out the stops for this highly-anticipated and contentious presidential election. One precaution, for instance, includes limiting edits of the 2020 U.S. election page to volunteer accounts older than 30 days and that have at least 500 edits to their name
Merkley explained that Wikimedia feels a special responsibility to ensure accuracy, given how much of the internet is integrated with its vast information database.
"If you ask Alexa a question, it's often answering with information pulled straight from Wikipedia, or if you do a Google search, in the sidebar where you see other information, a lot of that is pulled straight from Wikipedia," he said. "So if it's wrong on our platform, it could be wrong everywhere, and we care very deeply about getting that right."
As for the possibility of disinformation coming from the highest levels of power, Merkley said it makes no difference to Wikipedia's approach.
"Mis- and disinformation can come from anywhere," he said. "The important thing is whether or not that source is verifiable, whether the facts are reliable facts. It's less about where it comes from and more about what is the impact that is intended from that information."
Tensions in Ukraine continue to rise. According to NATO and U.S. officials, Russian troops are still being built up despite Moscow's claims of de-escalation. However, Ukraine does not believe the troops are enough to mount an invasion. The government in Kyiv has also reported several cyber attacks against its defense agencies and banks which is the largest attack in the country's history. Foreign Affairs Reporter based in Ukrain, Terrell Starr, joined Cheddar to discuss more
A Senate bill unveiled on Wednesday looks to tackleonline safety for children by regulating Big Tech and social media platforms to deter users from content that can harm their mental health. Irene Ly, a policy counsel for the age-based ratings and review organization Common Sense Media, joined Cheddar News to break down the potential of the Kids Online Safety Act. "We can't be imposing such a big burden on parents to be doing it all on theirselves," Ly said. "I think you also have to keep in mind that parents often didn't grow up with social media, so they don't understand what it's like to be addicted to social media or really understand how they work."
The Federal Reserve minutes from its January meeting are indicating it's sticking to an interest rate hike in March, but what does the report coupled with ongoing inflation mean for investors going forward? Scott Brown, a market strategist at LPL Financial, joined Cheddar News to break down the minutes and talk about how investors might navigate the rest of the year. "it seems like the market is kind of inclined to trade off these headlines, really, through the first half of the year," he said. "And then, oh, don't forget, we've got midterm elections, which always tend to add a little bit of volatility in the second half of the year." Brown noted that the path forward for stock investors in 2022 would be "rockier" than last year.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have introduced a new bill to afford greater protection to minors on social media. The genesis of the Kids Online Safety Act came from a Facebook whistleblower case exposing the harm apps can have on the mental health of young girls.
The Chinese government brought the sitcom "Friends" back to its streaming services. However, it had instances of LGBTQ+ references left out, after the series had been banned on Chinese streaming platforms for years.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a national public order emergency as a 'last resort' to restore order after protests have significantly disrupted daily life and impacted the local economy since the protests began. It is the first time in 50 years a Canadian government has taken this type of action. Myah Ward, breaking news reporter at Politico, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Almost a decade after facing a parent's worst nightmare, the families of the young students killed in the Sandy Hook School shooting reached a settlement with gun manufacturer Remington, makers of the Bushmaster AR-15 used in the crime. David Pucino, deputy chief counsel, Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence joined Cheddar News to discuss the families' case and how its strategy brought about the legal settlement. "They built a really great case showing the way that Bushmaster developed its advertising to drive sales using those toxic messages.
A new analysis reveals that for more than two decades, the West has been the driest it has ever been since 800 A.D. The drought which began in 2000 has brought more devastating wildfires and draining water reserves well below healthy levels. Climate Scientists and Adjunct Associate Research Scientist at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University,Benjamin Cook, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
