[ Pratyush Ranjan ]
NEW DELHI, 6 Nov: The landscape of disinformation is constantly changing as new technologies and tactics are developed to spread misinformation and disinformation. Such an evolving face of disinformation poses a serious threat to democracy and society because it is being used to manipulate public opinion, undermine trust in institutions, and sow discord among different groups of people or nations in some cases.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has been marked by a massive disinformation campaign (mainly powered by AI tools), with both sides spreading false or misleading information since the beginning of the conflict. One of the most common forms of disinformation has been using propaganda videos and images. These videos and images have often been doctored or taken out of context to mislead viewers.
PTI Fact Check, the IFCN signatory fact check unit of the Press Trust of India, has debunked 20 such fake photos and videos and covered the details in its series of fact-checked articles, which can be read on the fact-check verticals (English and Hindi) on the PTI website www.ptinews.com.
The disinformation campaign during the Israel-Hamas conflict is a reminder of the serious threat that disinformation poses to society and the world. It shows how important it is to be aware of the different forms of disinformation that we see online and to take steps to protect ourselves from being misled.
“The conflict between Israel and Hamas has generated an unprecedented wave of disinformation. The false generative AI images have been circulating online, used by different actors to solicit support – or mislead global opinion. The volume of AI-generated deceptive content on social media certainly is an indication of how deepfakes can threaten a widely destructive political and social force. AI is easy to create, hard to detect and difficult to debunk. AI-generated content is an evolving space, and we have yet to decipher its consequences on society. Therein lies the big challenge. The risk is certainly no longer just hypothetical,” Syed Nazakat, founder of DataLeads, told PTI.
DataLeads is a data-driven multiplatform initiative that builds collaborations for data-driven storytelling, fact-checking, media research, and innovations. (PTI)