False wildfire and election information is thriving online. Here's how you can tackle it
CBC
With unprecedented wildfires and a provincial election happening at the same time, Alberta is ripe for the spreading of false information online.
But there are ways to avoid falling into the traps of misinformation and disinformation.
Wildfire evacuees have said in interviews that false information has filled gaps where updates from officials have fallen short. Elections Alberta recently had to clarify its own messaging about voting rules.
"Elections and natural disasters are unfortunately two of the types of events that tend to unleash the most amount of false and misleading content and claims," said Craig Silverman, a reporter who investigates disinformation and digital manipulation for ProPublica, a U.S.-based non-profit investigative journalism newsroom.
But it's not just bad actors who spread incorrect information.
"It can be people genuinely trying to pass things along, thinking it's true, thinking it's helpful," Silverman said in an interview with CBC News.
There's a difference between misinformation and disinformation.
Misinformation can include honest mistakes, misunderstandings, exaggerations, fallacies and conspiracy theories. People may post or share something thinking it's true, or without taking the steps to check how accurate it is.
Disinformation involves the spreading of false information with the intent to mislead.
Misinformation and disinformation can take on many forms, according to Matthew Johnson, director of education for MediaSmarts, a non-profit which educates Canadians about digital and media literacy.
"Almost any kind of information that we encounter online can be disinformation," Johnson said, "whether it is a genuine false news article, whether it's a photo or video, a meme, a social network post, even a recipe."
Johnson said one of the biggest and most serious forms of disinformation he's seen around election time tends to centre on the voting process itself.
People can spread false information about different aspects such as when polls close, how votes are collected, and documents voters need or don't need to bring to their voting places.
"Anything about the mechanics of voting, it's really important to check with the election authority because that's your best source," Johnson told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.