We're kicking off the @LucasCollege @SJSU_HA Disinformation & Fake News panel with news that this speaker series has been generously funded permanently by incredible donors 
sjsu.edu/cob/about/cale… gives the topic for tonight - kicking off the convo by defining "disinformation" & "fake news" - ex. Pizza-gate - identifying the media for dissemination beyond simply content, too
Also consider relationships b/w actors & leaders with ex of Russia's disinformation campaign using media set up to look like the real American news media outlets
(4 panelists so I'm not keeping up with who said what)
Is fake news = propaganda? Or simply parody, exaggeration ? another speaker says it's the weaponization of social media (lotta head nodding)
Our moderator pulls e/o back from bashing on tech to instead focus on the fact that fake news has been used long before 2016 - the Rwandan Genocide e.g.
Use of radios allowed that to happen but social media allows for a much quicker spread if false narratives peer to peer
Etienne Brown advocates for narrowing the def of fake news so it doesn't become a representation of anything a person disagrees with. It's more like yellow journalism
Instead working around the idea of disinformation instead - social media made disinformation scale rapidly (can experiment to see how many likes a piece gets in our attention economy & then improve for spreading quickly)
Fake news as it's used by current administration is redirect by DT to what he wants the narrative to be (interesting).
Also all of this is typically salacious...which is more intriguing to public and shared more wildly
Another speaker says disinformation is an issue this large bc the idea of "media" has changed. Bloggers etc put things out w/o review even if proven wrong later.
Brown turns it back to identify education as an important opportunity for students to encounter, discuss, identify disinformation and speak with/debate others with varying points of view = CRITICAL THINKING!!
Teach students how to build a relationship of trust in critical thinking in order to have debates (me: yes! Productive disagreement!)
Brown recommends faculty to be careful about news sources & be aware if giving broad spectrum. E.g. Wikipedia is more democratized information than Encyclopedia Brit. (Me: um issue w/Wikipedia that Ed's are primarily male which caused issues w/who gets an entry...
Speakers for tonight plus Etienne Brown, Prof of Philosophy @SJSU
Reiner: talks about enclaves & tribalism - that each administration is responsible for defeating things like disinformation (Russia) in order to restore faith in govt
Albertson: to combat this, states will start to pass laws about privacy & disinformation to take care of citizens bc federal government is in disarray
Now moving to talk about tech & FB & its ad library and indicators about the source & fact checking (Brown)
Ann Agee earlier took us thru all fact checking online entities eg Snopes. Now she points out that Zuck recently asked for external regulation (like in FB Europe) google.com/amp/s/www.alja…
The Public Private War - by Reiber - cltc.berkeley.edu/2019/12/17/a-p…
At some point in the future the US will likely enter into escalating hostilities with a cyber-capable adversary,” Reiber writes. “Public-private preparation for war is an uncomfortable but nec process to prepare for that day or, better, help deter that day from ever arriving.”
FB has ONLY 35k fact checkers...for billions of users and ads. Brown recommends that all tech firms should contribute fact checkers to help the issue
Brown: we want to remember why we value freedom of expression & think about how quickly fake news spread (whackamole)
Proposition to amend the Communications Decency Act (section 230) to make social media firms legally liable for spreading false information (which they have enjoyed immunity from since the 1990s)
Albertson: recommends e/o leaving Facebook (Russians, Cambridge Analytics, Soros) - me: I don't agree...reading has changed so let's bend with it instead if restricting
Agee points out that we're addicted to attention economy
Me: the more damaging sites, yep, shut down (4chan, sometimes Reddit etc)
Agee recommends we move social media to block chain (give your information back to you) - better privacy models
REIBER: social media has changed the way we talk to each other & advocates for regulation of social media. we regulate air travel, why not?
Brown reminds us of the great aspect of a public university - @SJSU is here for the public (and not a part of the ivory tower)
(ooff..I just had to invoke a "pls use the mic")
Me: where are the tech companies in this convo? I mean, here. In silicon Valley? @scuethics @UCBerkeley @ComputerHistory all having ethics/tech talks this week but no major tech rep on the panels? Why are they unwilling to chat with higher ed ? We really want to brainstorm
Lots of students lining up to ask questions - love it (smart questions too)
