Filtering out malicious lies

Jacqueline Rowe on how digital platforms can tackle disinformation.

The World Today
2 minute READ

Digital platforms are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of disinformation being posted each day. The methods they use to identify false or emotionally manipulative posts – a mixture of user reports and paid content moderators – cannot keep pace.

Part of the solution may be found in natural language processing, or NLP, an emerging technology that allows computers to analyse and process large quantities of text and speech.

Emotive content can be more compelling than facts or evidence, which is why online disinformation is often designed to engender moral outrage, superiority, anger, fear or mistrust in its target audience.

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