Currently, fake news is becoming too much across different media outlets. Although you might not have been keen on them, these untrue stories are seriously toying with your thinking hence have very bad security effects. With more than half of the people in the world using Facebook and other streams, news moves at a very fast rate and at times, it’s only the bad news that gets spread. What about when it’s your most trusted media source? How can you know whether the information is real or not? If all of us continue to get cheated by this fake news then the world may become so bad.
Until recently, we could select our news sources with confidence based on its accuracy. But today with the advent of Facebook and other sources, both fake and trusted stories are turning out to be one. We must, therefore, decide what’s fake and what’s true. Many democracies, countries, and states now have to face the likelihood of the wrong news being spread through psychological tricks. It’s, therefore, no doubt that fake news (by Chris S. Burns) is a type of cyber attack that we are just about to see its true effects.
Lessons that we can learn from the fake news
Fear and the unknown leads to the fake news- Any event that causes unknown or fear is always the breeding ground for fake news. We live in a world where headlines are written so that they can be clicked. Due to this anyone can just write a fake story and present it as legitimate and true.
Some stories fool us- In the current world, some stories are so believable and so true that they fool us into believing in them. In fact, most of us are usually tricked by these stories since we never take our time to read past the headlines. When you read the headline of a fake story you get the wrong impression of what the story is all about.
How fake stories will lead to the next cyber war
Every day, attacks interfere with our way of life by filing our news sources with fake news, lure us and eventually affecting our actions. This news is not only dangerous but can also alter the outcomes of any decision that we make. Many countries must, therefore, concentrate on the challenges that are caused by the disruption by fake news. While most governments have increased their attention to cyber incidents, we are yet to see any transparency on these.
For instance, the latest attacks have led to stolen sensitive and personal details that have in turn influenced our collective decision making. But how do they carry out this? Botnet firms and troll factories usually steal personal information to ensure that our news sources are full of fake news that encourage us to participate and even get our friends and families to get involved. This way, our thinking, and actions come into play hence criminals take advantage of this to share wrong information with the people we trust. For more information read justwebworld.com.
Politics plays a huge role in the spread of fake news
There is no doubt that politics is very emotional. Thus, the emotions brought about politics usually helps make fake new believable. Since many people do not trust the mainstream media anymore they tend to seek news from other sources. However, these sources are not only trusted but extremely believable and fake. In the current environment anger, fear, and facts are being affected by emotions. This is why we easily believe the fake news.
Who should be blamed for cyber attacks?
Cyber attacks and fake news are not only crossing the borders but also replacing the trust we have on the real news with fake news. When an attack from a neighboring country affects our way of life or our democracy it should be considered a cyber war. Some of the main firms have found concrete evidence that criminal groups are connected to many states. However, without any concrete evidence, those countries have continued to deny this. This is expected to go on without the affected countries realizing.
What needs to be done?
Now, nation states and governments must all come together to prevent any major catastrophe from happening. They must be concerned about any activity carried out within their borders. Since fake news affects the trust it’s a major form of cyber attacks. Governments should act fast and prevent the spread of cyber attacks and fake news.