Tootfinder

AI tools used in a medical context are easily fooled by misinformation that's delivered in an authoritative tone.
That’s the finding of a recent study published in The Lancet Digital Health which assessed the outputs of 20 LLMs used in a medical context, including models specially trained on medical data.

Medical AIs easily fooled by authoritative misinformation, study
AI tools used in a medical context are easily fooled by misinformation delivered in an authoritative tone.

For years, Sen. Ron Johnson has been spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation about COVID-19 and the safety of vaccines.
He’s promoted disproven treatments for COVID-19
and claimed, without evidence, that athletes are “dropping dead on the field” after getting the COVID-19 vaccination.
Now the Wisconsin politician is endorsing a book by a discredited doctor promoting an unproven and dangerous treatment for autism and a host of ailments:
chlorine dioxide, a chem…

Senator Endorses Discredited Doctor’s Book on a Chemical He Claims Treats Everything From Autism to Cancer
Wisconsin's Ron Johnson has a history of spreading vaccine misinformation. Now he's giving credence to assertions about the therapeutic powers of chlorine dioxide, a disinfectant and deodorizer. “It is all lunacy," one expert said.

BBC Director General Tim Davie says the broadcaster will stay on X to try to counteract a flood of global misinformation, despite pressure to leave (Michael Savage/The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jan

✋ Small digital frictions can slow the spread of misinformation
#misinformation

Small digital frictions can slow the spread of misinformation
New research from the University of Copenhagen points to a simple yet effective method for combating misinformation on social media: make it slightly harder to share content.

"How to spot climate misinformation on social media"
#Climate #ClimateChange #SocialMedia

How to spot climate misinformation on social media
Yale Climate Connections is a nonpartisan, multimedia service providing daily broadcast radio programming and original web-based reporting, commentary, and analysis on the issue of climate change.

Climate misinformation is becoming a national security threat. Canada isn't ready for it https://phys.org/news/2025-12-climate-misinformation-national-threat-canada.html

Climate misinformation is becoming a national security threat. Canada isn't ready for it
When a crisis strikes, rumors and conspiracy theories often spread faster than emergency officials can respond and issue corrections.

Chaos in Minneapolis Exposes an Internet at War With Truth (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/technology/minneapolis-ai-disinformation-misinformation-truth.html
http://www.memeorandum.com/260203/p71#a260203p71

"Google said the vast majority of its AI Overviews were factual and helpful, and it continuously made quality improvements. The accuracy rate of AI Overviews was on a par with its other search features like featured snippets, which had existed for more than a decade, it added."
So Google admits that it's AI AND OTHER SOFTWARE PRODUCTS actually provide #misinformation. Mi…

"Google said the vast majority of its AI Overviews were factual and helpful, and it continuously made quality improvements. The accuracy rate of AI Overviews was on a par with its other search features like featured snippets, which had existed for more than a decade, it added."
So Google admits that it's AI AND OTHER SOFTWARE PRODUCTS actually provide #misinformation. Mi…

SBS Examines Sa Wikang Filipino
a podcast that focuses on identifying and clarifying misinformation and disinformation that affects Australia's social cohesion...
Great Australian Pods Podcast Directory: https://www.greataustralianpods.com/sbs-examines-sa-wi…

@… and how do you feel about the misinformation in the 18th December post above?

Social media ‘trust’/’distrust’ buttons could reduce spread of misinformation | UCL News - UCL – University College London
@… & @… I am tagging you, although maybe you already knew hehe

From Evidence for Democracy
On 28 January 2025, Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue held a press conference on the Foreign Interference Commission’s final report, where she identified misinformation as the single greatest existential threat to Canadian democracy. Our research team at Evidence for Democracy carried out a broad review of the state of misinformation in Canada, and what we can do to rebuild public trust in Canada’s democracy.

"Every component of my life was attacked:" How wind farm misinformation tore community apart.
#windenergie #misinformatie

Shyster Dale Vince is still peddling misinformation about heat pumps.
Factcheck: What it really costs to heat a home in the UK with a heat pump - Carbon Brief https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-what-it-really-costs-to-heat-a-home-in-th…

Factcheck: What it really costs to heat a home in the UK with a heat pump - Carbon Brief
This factcheck explains how heat pumps can cut bills, what the latest data shows about potential savings

Im Internet über historische Fakten diskutieren müssen, AI-Ära.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRUs8VjEVW3/?igsh=cHQ0Y3ppbXZrY3Vr

"Canary Media’s top 11 clean energy stories in 2025"
#Energy #Renewables
https://www.<…

Canary Media's top 11 clean energy stories in 2025
From data centers to misinformation peddlers, these are our most essential energy-transition stories from this year.

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on KEXP's #VarietyMix
Archers of Loaf:
🎵 Misinformation Age
#ArchersofLoaf
https://archersofloaf.bandcamp.com/track/misinformation-age
https://open.spotify.com/track/09Mmx7gNpv3wZDLgX8gGdW

Scientists Are Increasingly Worried AI Will Sway Elections https://www.404media.co/scientists-are-increasingly-worried-ai-will-sway-elections/

Look, it's quite simple: The government has to post on the child-porn nazi troll misinformation site because that's where all the child-porn loving nazi trolls are and they want their votes!
It doesn't matter that the posts which counter to the misinformation are algorithmically suppressed because, um... Because if the mind of even on nazi child-porn loving troll can be changed then magnifying their world-view and indulging their frame of reference will have been worth it.
#twitter

Imagine there were no smartphones with cameras and social media, then ICE/DHS would completely get away with all their lies and misinformation. The federal government statements in the US feel like the Soviet-Union for those people old enough to remember that. Local media and civilian observers are doing a great job.
#minneapolis

SBS Examines Dalam Bahasa Indonesia
A podcast dedicated to dispelling misinformation and disinformation that has an impact on Australian social cohesion...
Great Australian Pods Podcast Directory: https://www.greataustralianpods.com/sbs-examines-dalam-bahasa…

I've now had AI bots impersonate high-profile people I know and engage me in a DM chat that was initially passable on both Bluesky and Mastodon. Be careful out there folks. And if the account is new with few followers, that's a big tell.
https://www.

There were actually a lot of good recommendations from that Committee report, the one on PR was just the final one! Here's a few more.. including some that local #Fediverse proponents could dig into! @… was on the Committee.
—>FEDI ADVANTAGE<— “The Committee heard about a number of issues related to
the electoral information environment. Members recommend
that the provincial government collaborate with Elections
BC and the federal government to review existing legislative
and regulatory measures related to misinformation,
disinformation, and hate speech during elections, including
**mechanisms to ensure the timely removal of harmful content** (**emphasis added)”
—> FEDI ADVANTAGE<— “To better address challenges associated with social media and emergent technologies such as artificial intelligence, Members recommend establishing a working group to propose amendments to BC’s privacy and election legislation. To better protect all users, the Committee recommends requiring digital platforms to act with a duty of care and establish clear safety-related requirements such as data privacy, platform design, and content policy. The Committee also heard about concerns regarding foreign interference, and recommends that these be considered by the Electoral Integrity Working Group.”
—The Committee heard about the critical importance of
civic education to ensure the public’s understanding of
democratic institutions, processes, and participation. The
Committee recommends strengthening civic education
in the K-12 school system with input from experts and a
greater emphasis on applied learning.
— the Committee suggests enhancing data collection by requiring proactive enumeration on an annual basis and ensuring that registered parties and candidates can access poll-by-poll results. Elections BC should review and improve
voter registration practices and communication, as well as
access to and public awareness of voting opportunities. With respect to expanding voter eligibility, the Committee supports further examination of extending voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds as well as permanent residents in BC.
— Committee Members recommend modernizing the candidate nominator verification process, requiring Elections BC to collect and share voters’ contact information with registered political parties and candidates, and strengthening measures related to access to multi-unit buildings for candidates and their campaigns.
Full report to the Legislature: #BCPoli #CanPoli #CdnPoli #ElectoralReform #Democracy #ProportionalRepresentation #Polarization

#Measles On The Rise Across Globe As #Vaccination Rates Decline...Third World Has Highest Spike, But #USA in The Mix As Well Now.

I was very surprised to hear that a "Global Health Misinformation Symposium" was organised by a signatory of the Great Barrington Declaration. He doesn't seem to have changed much since Integrative Baloney @ Yale
#FoxInTheHenhouse
ht…

I listen to the Volts podcast for technical news about innovations on the electricity grid, so this excellent discussion of the intersection between epistemology and social psychology was as unexpected as it was interesting. Highly recommended.
Volts: The cure for misinformation is not more information or smarter news consumers
Starting from: 00:40:37
Episode webpage:

The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC)
names Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino directly in a statement:
"In the hours following the shooting, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino held a press conference
asserting that the operation was targeting an individual named Jose Huerta-Chuma
and characterized him as having a significant criminal history.
Because federal statements have repeatedly included inaccurate information about Minnesota custody an…

KARE 11
Welcome to the official YouTube channel of KARE 11 News. Subscribe to our channel for compelling and dramatic storytelling, award-winning investigations, breaking news and information you can use. kare11.com: http://www.kare11.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KARE11/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kare11 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kare11/

From David Suzuki
The David Suzuki Foundation has been informed of several fake news stories, ads and videos circulating online that falsely claim to be endorsed by David Suzuki or the David Suzuki Foundation.
With the rise in AI-generated misinformation, it is increasingly difficult to determine if the content you see online is real or not.
These fake ads often link to websites selling products, sharing disinformation or promoting financial scams.
🧵1/6

"Five short videos that debunk climate lies and falsehoods"
#Climate #ClimateChange
htt…

Five short videos that debunk climate lies and falsehoods
Join Samantha Harrington as she sleuths out climate misinformation on social media.

How did we exchange information before photography,
before print,
even before writing?
How was truth represented in a world of stories, myths and oral traditions?
For most of human history,
truth wasn’t a fixed point;
it was negotiated within a tribe,
verified by proximity,
and sustained by trust.
In that sense,
we may be returning to an ancient condition:
truth as local, not universal.
This isn’t necessarily the apoc…

AI photo art raises question: What comes after ‘seeing is believing’? 
In the age of AI, photographs no longer express truth. That doesn’t make them any less meaningful.

RE: https://mstdn.social/@david_colquhoun/115731267106245836
More on the organiser of the "Global Health Misinformation Symposium" here:

On the Mones
Where pharmacist, menopause myth-buster, and accidental midlife icon Kate Thomas breaks down the chaos of hormones, perimenopause, ageing, wellness woo, and the medical misinformation flooding your feed...
Great Australian Pods Podcast Directory: https://www.greataustralianpods.com/on-the

The Quw’utsun (Cowichan) First Nation was exactly right in 2017:
""We don’t want to argue about settlers' interests versus First Nations' interests — we want to argue about what the Crown did wrong.””
They knew that if the case was framed as ‘taking over private property rights’, that it would be politicized and a lightning rod for racism and misinformation when that was not the point of their claim, which was against the Crown.
""It would be wrong. It’s wrong morally, it’s wrong legally. It’s pitting interests against each other when the person who caused the problem is the Crown.””
Another excellent report from CBC's Jason Proctor.
#FirstNations #Cowichan #PrivateProperty #Indigenous #RightsandTitle #Land