86% of net users fall for fake news

OTTAWA — Eighty-six percent of internet users have been duped by fake news—most of it spread on Facebook—according to a global survey published on Tuesday.

Respondents said they want both governments and social media companies to crack down on these activities, which are contributing to a growing distrust of the internet as well as negatively impacting economies and political discourse.

The United States took the lion’s share of the blame for spreading fake news, followed by Russia and China, according to the annual Ipsos survey of more than 25,000 internet users in 25 countries.

Fake news appeared to be most prevalent on Facebook, but also appears on YouTube, blogs and Twitter, the pollsters found.

The survey results showed people in Egypt were the most gullible while respondents in Pakistan were the most skeptical.

The results also revealed widespread distrust of social media companies and growing concerns over online privacy and biases baked into algorithms used by internet companies.

The poll—which relied on both in-person and online interviews—was conducted between Dec. 21, 2018, and Feb. 10, 2019, on behalf of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (Cigi).

“This year’s survey of global attitudes not only underscores the fragility of the internet, but also netizens’ growing discomfort with social media and the power these corporations wield over their daily lives,” Cigi’s Fen Osler Hampson said in a statement. —AFP