Misinformation and Disinformation: Brands in the Echo Chamber August 2018 Table of Contents

Whitepaper Misinformation and Disinformation: Brands in the Echo Chamber August 2018 Table of Contents Introduction: The False Information Ecosystem 3 Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring 4 “Fake News” Websites 5 User-Generated Conspiracies 7 The Echo Chamber 7 The Clickbait Headline 9 The Influencer 9 Chapter 2: The Threat of Disinformation Ops 10 Fringe Networks 11 Bots and Sockpuppets 11 Synthetic Audiovisuals 12 Review Attacks 13 Chapter 3: How Brands Can React 14 References 17 Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 2 Introduction: The False Information Ecosystem In 2013, the World Economic Forum acknowledged the risks of a digital society, warning that “hyperconnectivity could enable ‘digital wildfires’ to wreak havoc in the real world.” Today, the risk of misinformation is no longer just a theory. Misinformation is infecting geopolitics, global governance, and even the reputations of sizeable brands. Social media conversations are How can a brand control its democratic in nature—They can own narrative in a landscape so be regional or global, controlled or disintermediated? —Brand controversy uncontrolled. When influential voices can spring from any corner of a fractured confidently share false facts or propaganda, online landscape and is sometimes inaccurate information can quickly become manufactured maliciously. Misinformation contagious—and the problem compounds and disinformation can spur consumer exponentially. With no editorial authority backlash, creating ripples that affect or review, misinformation spreads online everything from day-to-day operations to at an alarming rate. Strong peer-to-peer long-term reputational health. networks fuel individual confirmation bias, while polarized echo chambers filter out This whitepaper explores the different threats opposing views. The rise of algorithms that posed by misinformation and disinformation. automatically curate posts amplifies voices It delineates the damaging ways in which false even more rapidly. information is generated and spreads online— and the ways in which companies can protect themselves. Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 3 Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring False information can spread online for various reasons. Some share it knowingly, with malicious intent. But in many cases, information spreads through users who have no clear knowledge of its falsehood. The primacy of social networks and our increasing dependence on digital makes us more vulnerable to not only disinformation—false information that is deliberately spread to mislead— but also misinformation—information that is inaccurate or misleading, but spread unintentionally or even by accident. • “Fake News” Websites • User-Generated Conspiracies The Echo Chamber The Clickbait Headline The Influencer Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 4 Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring “Fake News” Websites Hundreds of websites seize the opportunity to disseminate misleading or false content through social platforms. Reasons include: Ideological motives Promoting negative sentiment around public figures, countries, state entities, or brands through unsubstantiated conspiratorial claims. In 2015, a viral claim spread online linking the closure of several Walmart stores to a grand conspiracy that Walmart was colluding with the federal government to attack the American people. The retailer was forced to publicly deny the claims. Financial motivation Gaining more traffic (and ad revenue)by promoting sensational content. In the middle of flu season in January 2018, the misinformation website YourNewsWire published an article with the headline “CDC Doctor: ‘Disastrous’ Flu Shot Is Causing Deadly Flu Outbreak.” The story was promoted by Facebook’s algorithm and became one of the site’s top-engaged stories in January, and ultimately ranked as the flu story with the highest overall engagement on social media. Commercial interests Spreading false information pretending to be news reports while promoting certain products or services. With more than two million followers on Facebook, Natural News publishes pseudoscientific anti-vaccination and anti-pharmaceutical articles while offering its own line of natural healing supplements in its online shop. Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 5 Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring Flu-Related Articles Ranked by Highest Engagements on Social Media CDC Doctor: ‘Disastrous’ Flu Shot Is Causing Deadly yournewswire.com 806,122 Flu Outbreak This Is the flu symptom you aren’t looking for but need to Popsugar 232,916 know about Still Not Convinced You Need a Flu Shot? First, It’s NYTimes 182,227 Not All About You CDC director urges flu vaccinations as pediatric deaths Reuters 109,296 mount Terrifying flu season: What to look out for as growing number of young people Fox8 106,155 lose lives after getting sick 7-year-old San Bernardino boy dies of ABC7 71,239 flu-related condition Widespread Flu Hits Weather.com 69,010 46 States Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 6 Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring User-Generated Conspiracies Damaging false information might also be generated or shared unintentionally by social media users. The nature of social media can then give these stories traction well beyond their original lifecycle. Examples include: The Echo Chamber In November of 2016, a father uploaded a video of his son suffering seizures allegedly caused by the Bexsero meningitis B vaccine to “My child’s vaccine reaction,” an anti- vaccination Facebook page. “From injection site he was not the same baby. Within 3 weeks he started having siezures [sic],” wrote Luke Maguire in his post, claiming the boy suffered up to 14 seizures per day. The video went viral and was shared widely across the anti-vaxxer online community. Several U.K. tabloids also amplified the video, distributing it with little scientific context. The post drove meningitis B-related media coverage in 2017, with users specifically deflecting the blame on Bexsero. By the time the video had 1.5 million views, it was re- edited and shared by U.S. alternative health promoter David “Avocado” Wolfe with his more than 11 million followers. Wolfe’s post was shared more than 400,000 times and received more than 27 million views to date. Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 7 Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring The Flow of Anti-Vax Dialogue Through the Social Ecosystem Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 8 Chapter 1: Sharing, Not Caring The Clickbait Headline For decades, newspapers have been accused The parents’ claim was emphasized in the of distorting scientific studies and health- headline and throughout the article, but an related information for the sake of catchy expert cited saying “it was unlikely his fits were headlines. In the era of digital media, the vaccine-related” appeared further down, in the problem has become even more prevalent. seventh paragraph of in the article. The article Catchy but misleading titles are a popular way was published after a video of a seizure went to attract clicks—even if they are lacking in viral on Facebook and gained engagement important context. specifically among anti-vaxxer communities. In December 2016, the Daily Mail published an article titled “Furious couple claim their son started suffering from 14 seizures a day after having a meningitis jab,” mentioning the Bexsero vaccine as a possible cause to the seizures. The Influencer Online influencers—celebrities, politicians, Despite a qualifying skeptical comment, Takei’s or other public figures—intentionally and post was shared more than 24,000 times. unintentionally accelerate the spread of false Many of the shares happened months after information by pushing it out of a closed echo the claim has already been debunked by the chamber to their millions of followers—and scientific community. In fact, the debunking into the public discussion. For example, actor only seemed to flare up new accusations George Takei shared a link to an article titled against Monsanto, a pesticide company, for “Zika Virus Not to Blame? Doctors Cite Man- allegedly buying the media’s silence. Made Cause For Birth Defect Epidemic” with his 10 million followers. Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 9 Chapter 2: The Threat of Disinformation Operations Information operations have been a type of warfare since ancient times, as adversaries tried to manipulate their enemies by spreading disinformation to cause deception or sow chaos. Today, social media platforms are astonishingly effective vehicles for disinformation campaigns. A well-organized campaign can filter through to public consciousness and might significantly impact long-term reputation. Online campaigns pushed by bots, falsified documents, sockpuppets, and trolls have already taken a toll on governments and corporations. • Fringe Networks • Bots and Sockpuppets • Synthetic Audiovisuals • Review Attacks Brands in the Echo Chamber Storyful 10 Chapter 2: The Threat of Disinformation Operations Fringe Networks In January 2018, a Facebook post accused Starbucks employees of contaminating drinks ordered by white people. The accusation was first posted to 4chan and resulted in an online maelstrom. Starbucks vehemently denied the allegations, but was ultimately forced to briefly close one of its stores in Atlanta. While major social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram can be used as conduits to make content viral, fringe platforms and online discussion forums function as hubs to organize propaganda campaigns. By spreading fake photos, “Anyone drink Starbucks in Atlanta, I hope not. memes and hashtags on Reddit, Twitter Messaged

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