
Covid hoaxes are using a loophole to stay alive–even after content is deleted - yasp
https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/04/30/1000881/covid-hoaxes-zombie-content-wayback-machine-disinformation/
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salawat
Welcome to the real world; where the bullshit is made up, your credentials
don't matter, because at the end of the day it all comes down to trust.

Unfortunately for these researchers, they are finding that just removing
content or flagging it as misinformation only gets you trust from a small
slice of the overall pie. You have to ask; "Why do these people trust this
stuff even after we've debunked/deleted it?" It isn't because the Wayback
Machine exists and serves it; it's because of the central inequitable divide
that exists in our society. Think about it. You have two fundamental groups of
internet users right now. Those that have enough influence to get things
removed from the Net at large, and those who don't have a chance in hell at
achieving the same. Do you really think that those for whom the Net exists as
an incorruptible store of truth, under constant attack by those with a vested
interest in shaping the narrative, will ever accept anything remotely
resembling strategic takedowns of information or overt attempts to shape the
narrative? No. They won't. The info will get out there and find other spread
points. Until you get people on a more equitable footing where common
experience is more or less the same; fault lines in landscape of trust will be
utilized to cleave apart any sense of consensus. Look at the degree of
political polarization at work in most countries at the moment. This is _not_
a unique phenomena. It reoccurs at every level of human life. In schools,
families, churches, neighborhoods, towns, cities, etc.

I'm pointing this out, because I believe a lot of people may have an
instinctual draw to the idea that "Well, we'll just make the Wayback Machine
do something about it!" That is a _terrible_ idea in any way shape or form. It
isn't that misinformation exists or is recorded somewhere that is the issue in
keeping these memes alive. It is that given fundamental differences in the
social landscape of trust, people will entertain different things as
plausible. In order to "get everyone on the same page" you basically have to
resort to redefining "everyone" to "everyone who will agree with me, and finds
credibility in the same ways I do". That redefinition at it's core has led to
more atrocity than anything else on the planet. Maybe I'm just getting
paranoid lately; but this article set off quite a few alarm bells in the back
of my head than I'm comfortable with. I'm seeing rather pootentious
connections being made that are making me rather nervous.

Stay safe out there everyone. We're all in it together. Now is not the time to
exploit for the sake of streamlining the process of sentiment engineering; or
to make anyone else feel marginalized or alienated; even if deep down we feel
like they are being buffoons.

