{"id":602,"date":"2021-11-26T20:49:15","date_gmt":"2021-11-27T01:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/extraocadsmhr\/?post_type=chapter&p=602"},"modified":"2022-02-14T19:32:20","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T00:32:20","slug":"governments-should-inoculate-citizens-to-prevent-the-spread-of-fake-news-short-introductory-article","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/extraocadsmhr\/chapter\/governments-should-inoculate-citizens-to-prevent-the-spread-of-fake-news-short-introductory-article\/","title":{"raw":"3a. \"Governments should inoculate citizens to prevent the spread of fake news\" (Short news article)","rendered":"3a. “Governments should inoculate citizens to prevent the spread of fake news” (Short news article)"},"content":{"raw":"
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Introduction to the article\u00a0<\/span>\"Governments should inoculate citizens to prevent the spread of fake new<\/a><\/span>\"<\/strong><\/h1>\r\nDisinformation is a complex issue. During\u00a0the digital age, we consume more information from more sources than ever before.\r\n\r\nBut issues that once seemed simple and straightforward can become blurry when we read about them from so many angles via so many online platforms.\r\n\r\nEntertainment and news continue to blend. New sites pop up all the time. Opinion pieces abound on the internet. Who has time to fact check all these sources?\r\n\r\nWho knows which way is up any more?\r\n\r\nIn their article, \"Governments should inoculate citizens to prevent the spread of fake news,\" authors Sze-Fung Lee and Benjamin C. M. Fung advocate for a new way to stem disinformation\u2013inoculating people, information-wise of course.\r\n\r\nAs we continue to face newer and more sophisticated forms of disinformation, having one more tool in the proverbial information toolbelt cannot hurt.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
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Governments should inoculate citizens to prevent the spread of fake new<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\r\nSze-Fung Lee and Benjamin C. M. Fung,\u00a0<\/span>The Conversation<\/em>, November 1, 2021 5:54pm EDT\r\n\r\nRussian intervention in the 2016 U.S. presidential election<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>showed how disinformation could disrupt a democratic process. And due to the current reach of social media, the risk of fake news being disseminated is greater than ever.<\/span>\r\n\r\nForeign intervention in the Canadian federal election<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>was relatively insignificant compared to the U.S. presidential election, but the potential ramifications of fake news in Canada still require extra awareness and effort to counter it in the long run.<\/span>\r\n\r\nCanada needs a broad strategy that combines approaches from national and international governments, private companies like Google and Facebook and third-party entities like<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the fact-checking organization DisinfoWatch<\/a><\/span>.<\/span>\r\n
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Inoculating the public<\/h2>\r\nEmerging during the Second World War,\u00a0<\/span>inoculation theory concentrated on political persuasion and propaganda campaigns<\/a><\/span>. When U.S. soldiers in the Far East faced the danger of being brainwashed if captured, psychologist William McGuire developed a different focus: to \u201cinoculate\u201d people to resist being \u201cbrainwashed.\u201d\r\n\r\nMcGuire referred to this as a \u201cvaccine for brainwash<\/a><\/span>\u201d that would boost the population\u2019s resilience to disinformation and decrease their susceptibility to fake news.\r\n\r\nInoculation reduces\u00a0<\/span>the effectiveness of disinformation<\/a><\/span>. Education and training in critical thinking for the public is acutely important, especially for adolescents, whose perspectives and skills like objective reasoning and analysis are starting to develop.\r\n\r\nAs the risk of electoral intervention increases, Canada has been allocating a tremendous amount of\u00a0<\/span>resources to combat possible occurrences<\/a><\/span>. Content on\u00a0<\/span>how to identify fake news has even been added to school curricula<\/a><\/span>.\r\n\r\nFederal initiatives, like the\u00a0<\/span>Digital Citizen Initiative and Digital Citizen Research Program<\/a><\/span>, also work to strengthen the public\u2019s resistance to persuasion by disinformation.\r\n

Fragmented approaches<\/h2>\r\nCanada does not have one specific unit, department or institution that focuses on fighting disinformation. In addition to police and military departments, there are several branches of government that deal with disinformation and cybersecurity.\r\n\r\nThe Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) often publishes\u00a0<\/span>reports regarding disinformation as a security challenge<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>warns of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, especially during elections<\/a><\/span>.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, the\u00a0<\/span>Communication Security Establishment (CSE)<\/a><\/span>, also a national security and intelligence organization, focuses on cyberthreats, foreign-based terrorism and other espionage. Its\u00a0<\/span>July 2021 report<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>examines the extent of cyberthreats to Canada\u2019s democratic process.\r\n\r\nThe Competition Bureau Canada also\u00a0<\/span>addresses fake news related to COVID-19 and businesses<\/a><\/span>, while\u00a0<\/span>the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre engages with suspected criminal activities<\/a><\/span>.\r\n\r\nCanada lacks an integrated institution that oversees all cybersecurity intelligence and analysis, planning and executing efforts to counter disinformation.\r\n
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Open communication<\/h2>\r\nCybercrime is intensifying<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and relations between countries (such as the U.S. and China<\/a><\/span>) are worsening. Instances of\u00a0<\/span>foreign involvement in political campaigns<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>have been documented.\r\n\r\nIn this new era of cyberthreats to national security, it will be necessary for governments to communicate openly and share information as authoritarian regimes attempt to undermine their opponents.\r\n\r\nA department within the Canadian government with the authority to enforce a whole-of-government approach would be unquestionably vital for Canada\u2019s liberal democratic future.\r\n\r\nInternationally, the Canadian government should take more specific actions that align with our allies and like-minded democracies to \u201cstrengthen our capacity to prevent malign interference by foreign actors aimed at undermining electoral processes through malicious cyber activities<\/a><\/span>.\u201d\r\n\r\nThis could start by\u00a0<\/span>establishing an integrated system within the Five Eyes alliance<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>that includes the exchange of sensitive information to combat disinformation and, in the future, further extended to more democracies.\r\n\r\nThere is, unfortunately, no single solution for fighting disinformation. Multidisciplinary approaches by international and national governments, private companies and other organizations are all vital to improve the resilience of national security and protect our democratic society from information warfare.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n
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Quiz<\/h2>\r\nQuiz on \"Governments should inoculate citizens to prevent the spread of fake new<\/a><\/span>\"<\/strong>:\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"41\"]<\/span>\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"42\"]<\/span>\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"43\"]<\/span>\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"44\"]<\/span>\r\n
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