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Daily Tribune
a day ago
- General
- Daily Tribune
Extreme weather misinformation ‘putting lives at risk,' study warns
AFP | Washington Major social media platforms are enabling and profiting from misinformation around extreme weather events, endangering lives and impeding emergency response efforts, a research group said yesterday. The report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) -- which analyzed 100 viral posts on each of three leading platforms during recent natural disasters including deadly Texas floods -- highlights how their algorithms amplify conspiracy theorists while sidelining life-saving information. 'The influence of high-profile conspiracy theorists during climate disasters is drowning out emergency response efforts,' the report said, adding that the trend was 'putting lives at risk.' Nearly all of the analyzed posts on Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram lacked factchecks or Community Notes, a crowd-sourced verification system increasingly being adopted as an alternative to professional fact-checkers, the report said. Elon Musk-owned X lacked fact-checks or Community Notes on 99% of the posts, while Google-owned YouTube 'failed entirely,' with zero factchecks or Community Notes, CCDH said. The report noted that wellknown conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's false claims during the LA wildfires amassed more views on X throughout January than the combined reach of major emergency response agencies and news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times. 'The rapid spread of climate conspiracies online isn't accidental. It's baked into a business model that profits from outrage and division,' said Imran Ahmed, CCDH's chief executive. During the wildfires, online scammers placed social media advertisements impersonating federal emergency aid agencies to steal victims' personal information, Ahmed said, citing local officials. 'When distraught people can't distinguish real help from online deception, platforms become complicit in the suffering of innocent people,' he said. The tech platforms did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 'Dangerous' falsehoods Following natural disasters, misinformation tends to surge across social media -- fueled by accounts from across the political spectrum –- as many platforms scale back content moderation and reduce reliance on human fact-checkers, often accused by conservative advocates of a liberal bias. During Hurricane Milton, which struck Florida last year, social media was flooded with baseless claims that the storm had been engineered by politicians using weather manipulation. Similarly, the LA wildfires were falsely blamed on socalled 'government lasers,' a conspiracy theory amplified by viral posts. Augustus Doricko, chief executive of cloud seeding company Rainmaker, said he received death threats online after conspiracy theorists blamed him for the devastating floods in Texas. The CCDH study found that the worst offenders spreading extreme weather misinformation were verified users with large followings, many of whom were attempting to monetize their posts. Eighty eight percent of misleading extreme weather posts on X came from verified accounts, CCDH said. On YouTube, 73% of such posts originated from verified users, while on Meta, the figure was 64%.
The Star
2 days ago
- General
- The Star
Extreme weather misinformation 'putting lives at risk,' study warns
WASHINGTON: Major social media platforms are enabling and profiting from misinformation around extreme weather events, endangering lives and impeding emergency response efforts, a research group said July 22. The report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) – which analysed 100 viral posts on each of three leading platforms during recent natural disasters including deadly Texas floods – highlights how their algorithms amplify conspiracy theorists while sidelining life-saving information. "The influence of high-profile conspiracy theorists during climate disasters is drowning out emergency response efforts," the report said, adding that the trend was "putting lives at risk." Nearly all of the analysed posts on Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram lacked fact-checks or Community Notes, a crowd-sourced verification system increasingly being adopted as an alternative to professional fact-checkers, the report said. Elon Musk-owned X lacked fact-checks or Community Notes on 99% of the posts, while Google-owned YouTube "failed entirely," with zero fact-checks or Community Notes, CCDH said. The report noted that well-known conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's false claims during the LA wildfires amassed more views on X throughout January than the combined reach of major emergency response agencies and news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times. "The rapid spread of climate conspiracies online isn't accidental. It's baked into a business model that profits from outrage and division," said Imran Ahmed, CCDH's chief executive. During the wildfires, online scammers placed social media advertisements impersonating federal emergency aid agencies to steal victims' personal information, Ahmed said, citing local officials. "When distraught people can't distinguish real help from online deception, platforms become complicit in the suffering of innocent people," he said. The tech platforms did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 'Dangerous' falsehoods Following natural disasters, misinformation tends to surge across social media – fueled by accounts from across the political spectrum – as many platforms scale back content moderation and reduce reliance on human fact-checkers, often accused by conservative advocates of a liberal bias. During Hurricane Milton, which struck Florida last year, social media was flooded with baseless claims that the storm had been engineered by politicians using weather manipulation. Similarly, the LA wildfires were falsely blamed on so-called "government lasers," a conspiracy theory amplified by viral posts. Augustus Doricko, chief executive of cloud seeding company Rainmaker, said he received death threats online after conspiracy theorists blamed him for the devastating floods in Texas. "I can confirm that we have received multiple threats since the flooding event," Doricko told AFP, highlighting the real-life consequences of such falsehoods. The CCDH study found that the worst offenders spreading extreme weather misinformation were verified users with large followings, many of whom were attempting to monetize their posts. Eighty eight percent of misleading extreme weather posts on X came from verified accounts, CCDH said. On YouTube, 73% of such posts originated from verified users, while on Meta, the figure was 64%. "Climate disinformation costs lives," said Sam Bright of DeSmog, which reports on climate misinformation campaigns. "As extreme weather events become more and more frequent, these falsehoods will only get more dangerous." – AFP
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- General
- Express Tribune
Extreme weather misinfo 'putting lives at risk'
A woman poses for a selfie while wading with others through a street in Manila, after heavy rains caused flooding. Photo: AFP Major social media platforms are enabling and profiting from misinformation around extreme weather events, endangering lives and impeding emergency response efforts, a research group said Tuesday. The report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) — which analyzed 100 viral posts on each of three leading platforms during recent natural disasters including deadly Texas floods — highlights how their algorithms amplify conspiracy theorists while sidelining life-saving information. "The influence of high-profile conspiracy theorists during climate disasters is drowning out emergency response efforts," the report said, adding that the trend was "putting lives at risk." Nearly all of the analyzed posts on Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram lacked fact-checks or Community Notes, a crowd-sourced verification system increasingly being adopted as an alternative to professional fact-checkers, the report said. Elon Musk-owned X lacked fact-checks or Community Notes on 99 percent of the posts, while Google-owned YouTube "failed entirely," with zero fact-checks or Community Notes, CCDH said. The report noted that well-known conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's false claims during the LA wildfires amassed more views on X throughout January than the combined reach of major emergency response agencies and news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times. "The rapid spread of climate conspiracies online isn't accidental. It's baked into a business model that profits from outrage and division," said Imran Ahmed, CCDH's chief executive. During the wildfires, online scammers placed social media advertisements impersonating federal emergency aid agencies to steal victims' personal information, Ahmed said, citing local officials. "When distraught people can't distinguish real help from online deception, platforms become complicit in the suffering of innocent people," he said. The tech platforms did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Following natural disasters, misinformation tends to surge across social media — fueled by accounts from across the political spectrum — as many platforms scale back content moderation and reduce reliance on human fact-checkers, often accused by conservative advocates of a liberal bias. During Hurricane Milton, which struck Florida last year, social media was flooded with baseless claims that the storm had been engineered by politicians using weather manipulation.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vance Is Boasting He Knows What's in Epstein Files to Random Dinner Guests
Vice President JD Vance casually informed a comedian over dinner what's in the files connected to Jeffrey Epstein while trying to downplay their significance. Tim Dillon made the revelation on an 'emergency' episode of his podcast titled 'The Epstein Cover-Up.' Featured on the episode was conspiracy theorist and InfoWars host Alex Jones, one of several Donald Trump supporters who have turned on the president over his handling of the Epstein case. '[Attorney General Pam] Bondi said we have 10,000 hours of video. I had dinner last week with the vice president,' Dillon said. 'He told me that that was commercial pornography, they do not have videos of any powerful person in a compromising position. That's the party line that they're going with?' 'If that's the case, why would Pam Bondi call it evidence? She's not an idiot. She's the attorney general,' Dillon added. 'Why would she say she has files on her desk if none of these implicated anybody?' Tom Dillion (left) hosted an 'emergency podcast' to discuss the Jeffrey Epstein saga with Alex Jones. / Screengrab/The Tom Dillon Show The fallout from the Department of Justice and FBI's handling of the files related to Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, doesn't appear to be blowing over anytime soon, even as Trump desperately tries to launch wave after wave of distractions. Multiple MAGA figures including Trump demanded the release of all evidence and files connected to Epstein amid speculation that there exists a list of high-profile names that implicates them in the pedophile's offenses. However, the DOJ and FBI shot down claims of the existence of any so-called 'client list' belonging to Epstein, despite Bondi stating in February that it was 'on my desk right now' awaiting review. The FBI and DOJ also stated that there will be no further arrests in connection to Epstein's crimes and that he took his own life, and was not murdered, inside his New York jail cell in August 2019. Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump were friends for years but fell out around 2004 over a Palm Beach real estate deal. /Another top MAGA figure who spent years demanding the release of the Epstein files was Vance himself. In a December 2021 X post, Vance wrote: 'What possible interest would the US government have in keeping Epstein's clients secret? Oh…' In a June 2025 interview with comedian Theo Von, Vance added, 'Seriously, we need to release the Epstein list. That is an important thing.' On July 16, Von asked Vance 'what changed?' while resharing the clip on X. On his podcast, Dillon questioned why Trump and Vance were once desperate for the Epstein files to be made public but are now suggesting everyone move on from the saga. 'It just feels like they're they're covering something. For sure, 100 percent,' Dillon said. 'And I feel like they're telling a story, and the story doesn't make any sense.' Dillion's podcast regularly gets hundreds of thousands of views online. The comedian, who claims to be equally critical of Democrats and Republicans, interviewed Vance in the days leading up to the 2024 election. He is also a regular guest of Joe Rogan, who was one of several podcasters the president spoke to during the 2024 campaign to try and engage younger voters. A spokesperson for Vance did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
eNCA
2 days ago
- General
- eNCA
Extreme weather misinformation 'putting lives at risk,' study warns
Major social media platforms are enabling and profiting from misinformation around extreme weather events, endangering lives and impeding emergency response efforts, a research group said Tuesday. The report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) -- which analyzed 100 viral posts on each of three leading platforms during recent natural disasters including deadly Texas floods -- highlights how their algorithms amplify conspiracy theorists while sidelining life-saving information. "The influence of high-profile conspiracy theorists during climate disasters is drowning out emergency response efforts," the report said, adding that the trend was "putting lives at risk." Nearly all of the analyzed posts on Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram lacked fact-checks or Community Notes, a crowd-sourced verification system increasingly being adopted as an alternative to professional fact-checkers, the report said. Elon Musk-owned X lacked fact-checks or Community Notes on 99 percent of the posts, while Google-owned YouTube "failed entirely," with zero fact-checks or Community Notes, CCDH said. The report noted that well-known conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's false claims during the LA wildfires amassed more views on X throughout January than the combined reach of major emergency response agencies and news outlets, including the Los Angeles Times. "The rapid spread of climate conspiracies online isn't accidental. It's baked into a business model that profits from outrage and division," said Imran Ahmed, CCDH's chief executive. During the wildfires, online scammers placed social media advertisements impersonating federal emergency aid agencies to steal victims' personal information, Ahmed said, citing local officials. "When distraught people can't distinguish real help from online deception, platforms become complicit in the suffering of innocent people," he said. The tech platforms did not immediately respond to requests for comment. - 'Dangerous' falsehoods - Following natural disasters, misinformation tends to surge across social media -- fueled by accounts from across the political spectrum –- as many platforms scale back content moderation and reduce reliance on human fact-checkers, often accused by conservative advocates of a liberal bias. During Hurricane Milton, which struck Florida last year, social media was flooded with baseless claims that the storm had been engineered by politicians using weather manipulation. Similarly, the LA wildfires were falsely blamed on so-called "government lasers," a conspiracy theory amplified by viral posts. Augustus Doricko, chief executive of cloud seeding company Rainmaker, said he received death threats online after conspiracy theorists blamed him for the devastating floods in Texas. "I can confirm that we have received multiple threats since the flooding event," Doricko told AFP, highlighting the real-life consequences of such falsehoods. The CCDH study found that the worst offenders spreading extreme weather misinformation were verified users with large followings, many of whom were attempting to monetize their posts. Eighty eight percent of misleading extreme weather posts on X came from verified accounts, CCDH said. On YouTube, 73 percent of such posts originated from verified users, while on Meta, the figure was 64 percent. "Climate disinformation costs lives," said Sam Bright of DeSmog, which reports on climate misinformation campaigns. "As extreme weather events become more and more frequent, these falsehoods will only get more dangerous."
