The term “fake news” refers to false reports spread via the internet, primarily through social media. It’s usually generated by those who typically want to manipulate public opinion and who are pursuing political aims. Read on to learn why fake news is spread, what the different types are, and how you can spot it. Also discover how Avira Secure Browser helps make your surfing experience safer.
What is fake news?
The topic of fake news has been in the headlines for a number of years now. But what is it exactly, as there are varying definitions of the term. At its core, it’s disinformation — false reports that are spread deliberately. Fake news is often used for political propaganda to deliberately influence readers’ opinions and portray the opposing party in a bad light.
The issue of fake news is complex and has become highly politicized. As a result, the term is often used in politics to discredit the opposing party’s point of view, calling controversial topics into question. The same applies to the credibility and objective reporting of intelligence services. As more and more people communicate and share news with each other over social media, fake news can spread rapidly.
What’s the difference between fake news and misinformation?
Whereas fake news primarily refers to false information in a political context, misinformation can cover a broader spectrum of inaccurate information and false reports. As such, the term can cover topics such as the economy, environment or health — news items, stories, or humorous articles that are intentionally intended to misinform or deceive readers.
What’s the danger of fake news?
Disinformation is often difficult to spot, causing uncertainty among users about which sources they can believe. People who deliberately spread fake news often exploit this uncertainty and feed it with further false information. This can lead to conspiracy theories, such as those during the Corona pandemic.
Fake news can also be dangerous if users receive completely false information about political events. Because disinformation spreads so quickly on the internet, false beliefs can also spread rapidly throughout society. Among other things, this can trigger violence due to political disputes.
How is fake news generated?
Trustworthy news is published by media outlets that adhere to strict rules of conduct — such as that their reports should be objective and fact-based. However, with the help of the internet, it’s becoming increasingly easier to publish false information. Fake news spreads particularly quickly on social media because there are so many people using it. What’s more, false information can be generated and shared with other users without it being subject to regulations or editorial standards.
Fake news is usually generated to influence people’s opinions or cause confusion. False information is often published on websites that are confusingly similar to trustworthy or actual news organization websites, deliberately misleading people. This sometimes makes it difficult to determine whether a report comes from a reputable and credible source.
Why spread fake news?
There are many reasons why fake news and disinformation are spread. These are the most common intentions:
- Influence: Political actors often use false reports with the aim of gaining a political advantage. They achieve this by influencing voters or decision-makers through fake news.
- Profit: False information is often used to generate more clicks — because more clicks mean more money. Authors can achieve this, such as by using controversial, sensationalist headlines.
- Satire: Fake news can be satirical and aim to entertain.
What are the different types of fake news?
It’s helpful to know the different types so you can spot fake news. It can be divided into the following groups:
- Clickbait: These are stories that are invented to generate website visits and increase the website’s ad revenues. They use sensational — usually fictitious — attention-grabbing headlines to encourage users to click them. Misleading headlines are a subtype. Here, the article content is partly true, but the sensationalist headline distorts the readers’ perception of the story — especially on social media, where often only excerpts of the article are shown.
- Propaganda: This includes content with biased viewpoints or stories that promote a particular political cause. They influence the readers’ opinions and may mislead them. Fake news examples from Russia showed that false reports were used to try to control reporting on the invasion of Ukraine. Fake news is also said to have influenced former US President Donald Trump’s 2015/16 election campaign.
- Satire: There are many websites that publish fake news to entertain for satirical or parody purposes. However, if users don’t realize this, it can lead to readers classifying the false reports as being true and spreading them further.
- Carelessness: If reporters or journalists publish news without checking all the facts, this can lead to fake news. Such sloppy journalism can mislead readers and spread false assumptions. Especially when the reports back up the beliefs or prejudices of the readership, they spread faster.
- Fakes: Here, actors create deceptively real duplicates of legitimate sources and fill them with false information. At first glance, the pages appear credible — so users take them seriously and share them.
- Deepfakes: Where videos or images are manipulated so they look deceptively real, they’re referred to as Deepfakes. They are generated using AI (artificial intelligence) and are designed to impersonate a person or thing.
How is disinformation spread?
Fake news campaigns have become a lucrative business model, so much so that bogus reports that influence public opinion can be ordered through links on the dark web. Services range from influencing elections to discrediting journalists. Special computer programs — called social bots — help cybercriminals spread fake news on social networks. They are designed to act like humans, but can spread fake information far more quickly.
Social media is a cost-effective medium for producers of fake news to publish disinformation. That’s because, unlike a fake website, they don’t need their own server. On top of that, more and more people are using social media as their preferred source of political information. One reason for this is the easy readability of the short news feeds with catchy headlines that can be shared in a couple of clicks. Inexperienced users also help spread false information because they usually don’t check its truthfulness.
How do you spot fake news?
Disinformation is often so credible that anyone can fall for it. To avoid that, here are some fake-news giveaways that will help you evaluate the news and spot false reports.
- Suss out the source: The first step to spot potential fake news is to check the source. Who is sharing the message and who posted it originally? Especially on social media, you should also pay attention to whether the accounts are verified. Media companies and many public figures have a blue check mark next to their name to show that the account has been authenticated. If the account has one, it’s a reliable source — but there are exceptions such as renowned conspiracy theorists.
- Read the content: Fake news often has inflammatory, attention-grabbing headlines that can create a false impression. As such, be sure to read the entire article to assess whether the content is legitimate and trustworthy. Headlines in capital letters that contain exclamation points can be a tell-tale sign of fake news.
- Compare sources: Check whether other reputable news outlets have published similar reports. If sources are cited in the article, check whether they are credible and based on the latest facts.
- Check for satire: Look closely. Is the report possibly satire and therefore a joke? Check if the website you’re reading the article on is known for creating humorous content and parodies. If so, you can safely say the fake news is a hoax.
Fake news often links to fraudulent websites, through which unsuspecting users inadvertently download scareware or other malware onto their devices. Be aware of the typical characteristics of toxic websites like error messages that suddenly pop up or adware. Your alarm bells should also be ringing if your antivirus tool warns you about a threat.
What can you do about fake news?
If you spot a false report, notify the social platform. In Germany, for example, the Network Enforcement Act, which came into force in 2017, requires that social network providers block or remove obviously illegal content within 24 hours of a complaint. Such content includes incitement to hatred, guidance on how to commit serious crimes, or the display of prohibited symbols.
To prevent fake news from spreading further, never share it with others. Instead, alert your network that the news is a hoax. The best way to support your statement is to refute disinformation with reputable sources.
Spot fake news with more secure browsers
To spot fake news and prevent its spread, always be on the look out. Question what you read and verify the truthfulness of the information by comparing it with reputable sources. It’s also worth using a secure browser.
Avira Secure Browser is an ad-free browser that allows you to surf safely, quickly, and privately. That’s because it blocks ads and prevents third parties from tracking your search and surfing activities. It also includes additional features that strengthen your protection from social engineering techniques like phishing and other internet scams such as pharming.