Did you know that fake news worries 86% of Spanish Internet users?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 3:44 am
Link to article Did you know that fake news worries 86% of Spanish Internet users?
What is fake news?
Fake news is false news or hoaxes that are deliberately spread on the Internet so that users perceive them as true. Sometimes, they are messages that have been modified throughout their dissemination.
The main objective of fake news is disinformation, deception, and cambodia phone number data manipulation of the audience, as well as discrediting or praising people or institutions in order to obtain, for example, economic gains from the visualization of the information, since each time a click is made, income is generated.
The dissemination of fake news with the aim of influencing the behaviour of a community is, today, a global concern. This is due to the speed with which it spreads, mainly thanks to social networks and instant messaging.
The problem is that 86% of the Spanish population believes fake news, according to the First Study on the Impact of Fake News in Spain prepared by the Complutense University of Madrid, which implies a great risk for the Internet user and cybersecurity when exposed to situations such as the following:
Credential theft : The user may be a victim of credential theft, since when accessing the news they are asked to log in to their usual social network.
Malware infection : Your computer or device may be infected because the news may require you to install some kind of plug-in to properly view a video or open an attachment, which can lead to security breaches, information theft or personal data leakage.
Health risks : the spread of false rumours that may harm your health, leading you to believe that proven treatments that offer benefits are not, or on the contrary, to trust in alternative treatments without any medical guarantee or not endorsed by the WHO. For example, have you ever heard of miracle cures for cancer ?
Damage to online reputation : In the case of a company, it can be seriously affected if a fake news story about its brand goes viral. The reputation of the users who share this type of news can also be seriously affected. They will lose credibility and reliability among their contacts.
How can we detect fake news?
To be able to distinguish when a piece of news is fake, it is necessary to stop and think and ask yourself a series of questions:
Follow your instinct : Does the news seem suspicious to you? Is it too timely to be true?
Check the source : What is the source of this news? If you can't confirm it, be suspicious.
Check the author : Who is behind the story you are reading? No byline? Check the author's profile on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
News outlet : Is the account that posted the news on social media a well-known account? Or is it an account you've never heard of? Find out.
Spelling errors : Does the news item contain spelling errors? If so, be suspicious.
A quick search on the Internet to check whether the news has been published and validated by other more reliable news portals with a certain online reputation will allow us to confirm whether the news we are reading is false or true.
In a world where fake news spreads so quickly, we must be skeptical and not believe everything we find on the Internet . Especially with the messages we can receive through social networks and instant messaging. There are several cases that have come to light, for example:
Deaths of famous singers or actors/actresses . Do you remember the time your favorite actor/actress or singer died? Many famous people find out about their supposed death through social media. This is the case of Sylvester Stallone .
Photos altered to create controversy . Have you ever seen a photo that turned out to be fake?
And the most common fake news, false or distorted political information. Have you ever received any of these messages?
These same means are also used to spread, for example, promoted contests, where you are informed that you have won a contest that you do not remember having signed up for. Surely you know of a similar case, right?
What is fake news?
Fake news is false news or hoaxes that are deliberately spread on the Internet so that users perceive them as true. Sometimes, they are messages that have been modified throughout their dissemination.
The main objective of fake news is disinformation, deception, and cambodia phone number data manipulation of the audience, as well as discrediting or praising people or institutions in order to obtain, for example, economic gains from the visualization of the information, since each time a click is made, income is generated.
The dissemination of fake news with the aim of influencing the behaviour of a community is, today, a global concern. This is due to the speed with which it spreads, mainly thanks to social networks and instant messaging.
The problem is that 86% of the Spanish population believes fake news, according to the First Study on the Impact of Fake News in Spain prepared by the Complutense University of Madrid, which implies a great risk for the Internet user and cybersecurity when exposed to situations such as the following:
Credential theft : The user may be a victim of credential theft, since when accessing the news they are asked to log in to their usual social network.
Malware infection : Your computer or device may be infected because the news may require you to install some kind of plug-in to properly view a video or open an attachment, which can lead to security breaches, information theft or personal data leakage.
Health risks : the spread of false rumours that may harm your health, leading you to believe that proven treatments that offer benefits are not, or on the contrary, to trust in alternative treatments without any medical guarantee or not endorsed by the WHO. For example, have you ever heard of miracle cures for cancer ?
Damage to online reputation : In the case of a company, it can be seriously affected if a fake news story about its brand goes viral. The reputation of the users who share this type of news can also be seriously affected. They will lose credibility and reliability among their contacts.
How can we detect fake news?
To be able to distinguish when a piece of news is fake, it is necessary to stop and think and ask yourself a series of questions:
Follow your instinct : Does the news seem suspicious to you? Is it too timely to be true?
Check the source : What is the source of this news? If you can't confirm it, be suspicious.
Check the author : Who is behind the story you are reading? No byline? Check the author's profile on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
News outlet : Is the account that posted the news on social media a well-known account? Or is it an account you've never heard of? Find out.
Spelling errors : Does the news item contain spelling errors? If so, be suspicious.
A quick search on the Internet to check whether the news has been published and validated by other more reliable news portals with a certain online reputation will allow us to confirm whether the news we are reading is false or true.
In a world where fake news spreads so quickly, we must be skeptical and not believe everything we find on the Internet . Especially with the messages we can receive through social networks and instant messaging. There are several cases that have come to light, for example:
Deaths of famous singers or actors/actresses . Do you remember the time your favorite actor/actress or singer died? Many famous people find out about their supposed death through social media. This is the case of Sylvester Stallone .
Photos altered to create controversy . Have you ever seen a photo that turned out to be fake?
And the most common fake news, false or distorted political information. Have you ever received any of these messages?
These same means are also used to spread, for example, promoted contests, where you are informed that you have won a contest that you do not remember having signed up for. Surely you know of a similar case, right?