‘Fake news is being weaponised’

‘Fake news is being weaponised’

Hyderabad

The menace of unverified content, threat of its weaponisation, the ease with which it fans hatred, and the role of legal reforms and technological checks and balances to combat disinformation, were key areas of focus at another panel discussion at the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad on Friday.

The summit brought under one roof, policy-makers, political leaders and experts from across the globe, to discuss policy and reforms.

The discussion on ‘Fact Vs Fiction: Countering Disinformation’ saw Thanisara Ruangdej, CEO and co-founder, Punch Up and WeVis from Thailand, speak about how geo-political actors, and political entities deliberately weaponise fake content. He underscored the significance of fact-checking and data analysis to deal with such malicious content.

Videos created after leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) can cause a great deal of harm, said Matthew William Faulding from UK’s Labour Party. Issuing a word of caution, he said, “Lies travel faster, and fake news can ruin lives.”

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh expressed concern over the relative ease with which hate was being spread. “Today, tech companies control global narratives and encroach upon citizens’ rights. I have been a personal victim of deepfakes and fake news. Words I never said were attributed to me. Hatred is being amplified at the click of a button,” he said.