Can the Fight Against Disinformation Really Scale?

Explore a thought-provoking conference talk from USENIX Enigma 2022 that challenges conventional approaches to combating disinformation. Delve into Dr. Gillian "Gus" Andrews' analysis of the limitations of fact-checking and AI-driven solutions in addressing the spread of rumors and conspiracy theories. Examine the complex relationship between trust, information, and human behavior, drawing insights from science and technology studies, neurocognitive development, and "new literacies" research. Discover why trustworthiness may be more closely tied to people than information itself, and consider alternative strategies for tackling the disinformation problem on a human scale. Learn about the impact of team loyalties, social context, and local institutions on information credibility, and reflect on the potential shortcomings of current large-scale efforts to fight misinformation.

Introduction
Two powerful forces
The Internet
Team Science
Credibility Coalition
Solving the Problem
Facts are Social
Fact
Evidence
Arguments
Fact checking
Yellow journalism
Professionalization
Trust is contextual
So little trust in medical facts
Team loyalties
Team scriptural inference
Team 5G
Team Q
Team Q Anon
John Huber
Five Eyes
Priori assumptions
Human understanding of trust
Its a social problem
Googles page rank
Team social media
ivory tower Jerk
Local institutions
Fact checkers
Content moderation
Algorithms should not promote strong emotions
Did we miss the boat on saturation news
Fight misinformation on a human scale
Be a calming presence