Is The War on Truth a Tech Problem?
Heather Vescent
Award Winning Futurist | Expert in Privacy and Security | Communicator of Complex Topics to Regular Humans
How do you stop the weaponization of truth?
Disinformation doesn’t spread because it’s 100% a lie. It spreads because the deception is wrapped around a kernel of truth, and then manipulated just enough to get us to share it. The problem with this is that many of us only think in terms of black and white, right and wrong, truth and lie. We don’t practice identifying the truth and lies in everything. But, what we believe comes from what’s in our minds, not our systems.
"Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll
Some technologists suggest that verified or trusted data can solve this. Sure, it could be part of the solution, but it first requires someone to build that technology to verify data at scale which is expensive, tricky, and still leaves us vulnerable. And I know firsthand how difficult it is to create tools and standards for verified identities. So I wouldn’t hold my breath about this being a solution that doesn’t introduce new problems.?
But the real issue is that “trusted data” is a technical solution to a fundamentally human problem. It’s not just about the data; it’s about beliefs – and the manipulation of those beliefs through deception. So how do you reduce your ability to be manipulated?
The New Moscow Rules
A few years ago when I was writing The Secrets of Spies, I was inspired to re-write the classic Moscow Rules for today’s Internet. The Moscow Rules were a set of broad principles for spies to keep in mind when working in Moscow. Today, the influence of national espionage departments is not geographically limited, and Moscow’s manipulation reaches into our devices, homes, workplaces, cars, and minds thanks to the internet. I wanted to codify the unspoken rules I used when being in today’s internet.?
The New Moscow Rules (or the Internet Rules) 2020
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Cultivate Calm and Drama Free
When I wrote the CyberAttack Survival Manual, I came across a study that basically showed that when you are exposed to negative news and comments, you are more likely to act in that way. The negativity is a virus and your mind picks it up. It’s like your mirror neurons mimic the trolling you are witnessing and you become that troll yourself. And it’s probably triggering your emotions, #2 of the New Moscow Rules. It takes practice to not get caught up and pass it on. But just because you read something that got you emotional, doesn’t mean you have to share it.?
You can participate in your own version of “Catch and Kill” in your mind. Don’t take the bait. Think of #7 of the New Moscow Rules. Emotional resilience is your best defense.
“World War 3 is a guerrilla information war with no division between military and civilian participation.” –Marshall McLuhan
These are just a couple of ways you can cultivate your emotional resilience while we wait for technical solutions.?
If we succeed in de-weaponizing truth, it won't just be harder to spread lies—it’ll be harder to believe them. We’ll narrow the gap between reality and false narratives, and maybe, just maybe, return to some common ground.
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In service of the Web4life -Decentralized computing & nourishing economies that serve all life! #collectiveintelligence #holochain #commons Woman in Tech |Speaker| CEO Coventina Foundation
5 个月Short and sweet and full of insights. I quote a fav piece “If we succeed in de-weaponizing truth, it won't just be harder to spread lies—it’ll be harder to believe them. We’ll narrow the gap between reality and false narratives, and maybe, just maybe, return to some common ground”
Heather Vescent Do you mean “How do you stop the weaponization of lies”? I would love to weaponize truth..”is the war on truth a tech problem? “ .. hmmm a very fascinating question.. is anything a tech problem ? How did humans become willing consumers of lies? In India there is this saying… in the age of Reality TV., Disinformation and misinformation comes in capsule form.. can truth be packed as capsules i wonder!
Global Analyst Relations Director @ Sprout Social
5 个月Recommend Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari (finishing it now). Information synthesis and the truth telling around it is a historical problem we humans have been dealing with since cuneiform tablets and camp fire stories. Deep fakes and reality terrorism is to follow
Interesting idea but we live in a world where “true for you but not for me” dominates market dynamics and national politics. We live in a world where lying, cheating, and stealing has been normalized in business. It’s becoming hard to detect and even harder to enforce. The consequences to big tech companies isn’t enough to change their behavior. Technology is a reflection of belief systems. There will never be a time when everyone believes the same way. Railroads weren’t good enough for some, so flying was invented. There is a fierce competition for control over resources and power that will never cease. All is fair in love and war… ergo, disinformation. Ethics is a better form of security. The golden rule has been disregarded. We need to rediscover our humanity, to remind ourselves that empathy, kindness, and integrity are the foundations of a thriving society.