Archive for the ‘Pepe The Frog’ Category

Behind the swastikas in Santee – San Diego Reader

KKK hood inside Vons

On Saturday, May 2nd, a man wearing a KKK hood made his way among fruit stands inside the Vons store in Santee, CA. In the era of social media, his picture went viral and made the international news.

On May 7th, Dustin Hart and his wife Brittany Hart went shopping at Food 4 Less in Santee pushing a stroller while wearing velcro swastikas attached to their masks. The woman wore a T-shirt with Pepe The Frog and the word Honk on it, which are white supremacists symbols used by the alt-right.

The hooded man was not charged and his name was not published, although he was identified by the Santee Sheriffs department.

Hart posted a 14 minutes video recording on BitChute (preferred for hate speech content) showing the altercation with the store clerk and the deputies who asked him to remove the Nazi decals. On May 18, Hart removed the video from BitChute, leaving on another recording showing him yelling homophobic slur and profanities at an unidentified man who confronted Hart about his swastika on May 8th in front of a post office building.

Hart is operating under several aliases. He has at least two Facebook accounts as Dusty Shekel and Dusty Shekel III. Hart signs as reichard_nixon on IG and uBeartron on Twitter and BitChute. On one of his Facebook pages, Hart posted his donation to Planned Parenthood followed by a meme stating When you realize Planned Parenthood might be a good thing - Abortion is the leading killer of black lives in America.

Asked to comment about his recent public actions, Hart said, I cant talk about anything until the hate crime investigation is over. He added there are no charges against him at this moment, but apparently there is still an investigation. They called me, but havent informed me that the investigation is closed. Hart wrote on his Facebook page that he is a TransJew and therefore cannot be anti-semitic.

In the video of the incident now removed, Hart claimed he wore the swastika as a peaceful protest against governor Newsom mandate to shelter at home during the covid pandemic and that it was not intended as a Nazi speech. However, both him and his wife wore t-shirts adorned with white supremacist symbols.

Before the public incidents, Hart used Threadless and Weebly to sell these t-shirts. A local group of activists succeeded to have his stores removed from the two platforms. Hart is now using http://www.wix.com and one of the activists who intends to remain anonymous said, Our efforts with web hosting site Wix were unsuccessful though. The activist said one of the people who worked to have the stores removed had to go to the police after Hart retaliated. Hate should not be profitable and companies have the power and authority to remove it from their platforms. Therefore we need to demand accountability. Dustin makes a profit, and the online platforms make a profit from the sale of hate-related items and speech. They are not government entities. It isnt a free speech issue, the activist said.

The activist took action because white supremacists are a direct threat to me and my family and silence is compliance. Members of our family were murdered at the hands of Nazi. Jewish people were murdered last year in Poway. The activist said their child was a victim of hate at school when another child started going up to Jewish kids and telling them that he should put a plastic bag over their head, to do like Nazi did to the Jews.

Cati Marie lives in Santee and went to school with Dustin Hart. The kid was always looking for attention. My strongest memory of him was doing gross things in front of as many people as possible. It was like he got off on it. I dont believe he is a racist, but I do believe he was seeking attention.

Hart changed the name of his Wix store on May 18 and deleted the Facebook post where he advertised it. As of today, May 19, the store is still operational under a different name. On the main page, Hart writes, We are proud to offer censorship-free service. The website is not certified, nor registered for e-commerce, has no company name listed or if it is licenced for business in the state of California and no tax ID number. Hart has no contact info posted, but has a link for donations.

Hart sent the reporter an invoice for $30 for a t-shirt ordered with the design of a pink Pepe the Frog and a black and white hat inscripted with the word Honk in big fonts surrounded by Nazi SS symbols and several swastikas in red. Hart demanded the amount to be paid upfront by sharing credit card information via email.

Screaming match during the Santee city council meeting

Hart is an Alpine resident and many people questioned his choice to come shop in Santee while wearing Nazi and alt-right paraphernalia. Santee city council member Stephen Houlahan said, This individual lives in Alpine but grew up in Santee, so its a failure of our community to reach out to this individual and theres probably more like him. He did not choose to go to Barrio Logan or to an area that is predominantly minority. He felt a great degree of safety to bring a baby with them - they had a level of comfort.

Houlahan faced a heated argument with council member (R) Rob McNelis during the last virtual board meeting on May 13 after local residents accused McNelis of denying there is racism in Santee.

Moreover, several of the public comments singled out McNelis as complicit when his supporters led racist attacks against a woman of color, Evlyn Andrade-Heymsfield, who was his opponent during the 2018 elections.

Andrade-Heymsfield wrote to the council and her words were read out loud during the meeting along with other 31 public letters. She wrote, I lived in Santee for one short year and during that time I was constantly told I didnt belong there, I was not one of them. Out of fear of safety for my family, we had to instal a security system for our home. When I ran for office, people suggested I look in the mirror because people who look like me cannot win in Santee.

There is racism in Santee and it is offensive to people like me to claim this is not who we are anymore, so please stop saying it. Do something to change this current reality. Denying racism exists in Santee when many of us have experienced it is insulting.

McNelis was the first to request the microphone to say few of these comments are super disturbing to me because they have no idea who the heck I am. The council member said he is the first generation of Hispanics who does not pick fruit. Thats how I was raised.

McNelis said his moms real first name was Guadalupe. She was ashamed by that and changed her name to Marie. He said he wanted to change his last name to match his moms, but his wife said she will not take my name if I did that when we got married because I was so proud of my Hispanic culture.

McNelis claimed there were no Hispanics in Santee when he moved here in 1994 and he became best friends with one of the few he met at his daughters kindergarten. He then added that the majority of people in Santee are thriving here regardless of their background.

McNelis claimed people who are looking for trouble in Santee, find trouble. He takes personal offense when people say Santee is a racist community because of everything Santee provided for himself and his family. None of these incidents were racist in any way, shape or form, because the people involved protested governor Newsom. He blamed the media for looking for opportunities to call Santee, Klantee because thats what the media does.

View post:
Behind the swastikas in Santee - San Diego Reader

Donald Trump Thanks ‘Keyboard Warriors’ as They Prepare for 2020 Election – Newsweek

President Donald Trump praised his "great keyboard warriors" on Thursday night as pro-Trump meme makers and social media personalities have prepared for the 2020 presidential election.

The commander-in-chief said his army of online supporters were "far more brilliant" than anyone working in the advertising industry.

Posting on social media, the president said: "Thank you to all of my great Keyboard Warriors. You are better, and far more brilliant, than anyone on Madison Avenue (Ad Agencies). There is nobody like you!"

At the time of writing, his late-night tweet has been liked and retweeted more than 150,000 times.

Responding to the president's post, Trump supporters on the platform shared edited clips of the president performing professional wrestling moves on former Vice President Joe Biden and the CNN network.

Several others also shared memes featuring Pepe the Frog, a cartoon character that has appeared in some bigoted meme content, but is mostly used in non-bigoted ways, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

"We will always support you, Mr. President!!" the author Nick Adams said in response to the Trump's tweet.

"There's a digital information war going on and too few people realize it," the music video producer Robby Starbuck tweeted. "The warriors on the right are the best of the best though and won't ever cede ground to the far left socialists who want to destroy this great country."

Jenna Ellis, a legal adviser to the president's re-election campaign, tweeted: "ARMY FOR TRUMP!"

Trump thanked his army of "great keyboard warriors" on Twitter as some of the president's meme-making supporters on the platform began ratcheting viral content attacking the president's biggest political rivals over the Michael Flynn case.

One pro-Trump "memesmith" with almost 250,000 followers, Carpe Donktum, has posted a handful of videos using the "#ObamaGate" hashtag over the last few daysincluding one depicting the president as the superhero Iron Man.

Another meme shared by Turning Point USA's Chief Creative Officer Benny Johnson on Thursday depicted Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton being led away in handcuffs by law enforcement officials.

The White House staffer Dan Scavino also re-posted a doctored video from the user "@mad_liberals" on Thursday that showed Trump delivering the president's speech from the 1996 film Independence Day.

President Trump has repeatedly shown appreciation for the work of his online supporters and pro-Trump meme makers.

Aside from sharing their content on his own account, the commander-in-chief invited some to the White House last year.

Speaking to Fox News' Media Angle in February, Carpe Donktum said: "On July 3, 2019, President Trump invited me and my family to the White House and I also brought along a friend and his mother.

"We hung out in the Oval for about 25 minutes and chatted with the president. It was an amazing experience none of us will ever forget."

Read the rest here:
Donald Trump Thanks 'Keyboard Warriors' as They Prepare for 2020 Election - Newsweek

Nick Fuentes and his white nationalist Groyper Army have a new home on TikTok – The Daily Dot

Update 11:15am CT: After publication, TikTok banned Nick Fuentes and several other Groyper accounts. They issued the following statement:.

We are committed to promoting a safe and positive app environment for our users. Our Community Guidelines outline behavior that is not acceptable on the platform, and we take action against behavior that violates those policies, including by removing content or accounts.

The original post follows below.

White nationalists and far-right figures have found a new platform to spread their messages and expand their following, moving to TikTok, Gen Zs current favorite app.

The move is being led by Nick Fuentes, who is bringing his loyal, white nationalist Groyper following with him.

I never got into it cuz (sic) I cant dance or anything, so I was always Im not going to do the Renegade, Fuentes stated on Sunday referring to the wildly popular dance of TikTok.

But hes since changed his tune.

Were on TikTok and were going to be using TikTok because its fun, because why not? Fuentes added. He then gave credit to a fellow Groyper who came up with the idea to move to the platform while adding, It was his idea, he suggested we get serious about making an American First Hype House on TikTok and bring the Groypers on TikTok and I think its a great idea because you know, when you think about social media, our biggest presence as a political movement is on Twitter.

As the Daily Dot wrote last year:

A Groyper is a member of Fuentes movement of his brand of alt-right white nationalism. The alt-right is a loose collection of conservatives that harbor white nationalists. Fuentes is currently one of its most public faces.

As their chosen mascot, Groypers took hold of anexploitableillustration ofPepe the Frog. While iterations of Pepe are commonly used within the far-right,this version is of Peperesting a conspicuous face against his two hands.

Fuentes further stated that the problem with Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube is that they all have these restrictions, regulations, community guidelines, terms of service that are obstructive and restrictive, while adding, I think TikTok is going to be a great outlet for political content, but particularly for young people, for zoomers

Were trying to appeal to a younger audience, Fuentes added.

Asked why he has joined the platform, Fuentes didnt respond to multiple requests for comment from the Daily Dot.

His white nationalist venture seems to be a work in progress. On Tuesday while making a TikTok, Fuentes apparently became overcome with rage and destroyed a trash can.

I got so mad making this one [TikTok] that I smashed a garbage can, he wrote with a picture attached to the message of a shattered plastic waste bin. I kept accidentally deleting good takes and my phone kept falling off the table, I was so upset.

But the rest of their use of the platform seems to be going much smoother. Fuentes has been pushing a list of other far-right figureheads who are on the platform as well, hoping to grow their audience.

The list, on messaging app Telegram, includes the likes of Vincent James Foxx, a far-right YouTuber, and alt-right personality Tim Baked Alaska Gionet.

Now, they are using the platform to start another Groyper War, their effort to attack conservative Trump supporters who hold a slightly mainstream conservative view.

Other college-aged followers of Fuentes including Jaden McNeil and Patrick Casey have joined the TikTok movement.

They touted the response their presence on the platform received Tuesday on Telegram, noting that apparently these TikTok dummies are blocking all groypers.

https://www.tiktok.com/@nickjfuentes/video/6817426953071643910

Fuentes and his crowd have specifically used the duet feature on TikTok which allows them to respond to Trump-supporting MAGA teens in their own videos.

In one video, Fuentes could be seen responding to a user by putting on a Cookie Monster hata reference to his own Holocuast denialism, which he has once made while using a baking analogy.

https://www.tiktok.com/@nickjfuentes/video/6818212876809932038

Caseya white nationalist who is currently president of Identity Evropa, now known as the American Identity Movement, which seeks to recruit white, college-aged men for their organizationjoined Fuentes on the platform.

The ability for Fuentes to go live and talk directly to the young demographic on TikTok has become a main appeal, as a way to further reach an audience while navigating his YouTube ban.

https://www.tiktok.com/@mcneiljaden/video/6817261822383623429

Following violations of terms of service and being booted from YouTube and Reddit, Fuentes continues to expand his following on other platforms such as Twitter and DLive

TikTok appears to be the next front for white nationalists when it comes to the internet culture wars. Theyve even tried to catch some of the zeitgeist of the app, as the crowd of white nationalists has also made a TikTok account parroting the infamous Hype House, creating the AF Hype House.

It currently has no posts, however.

Groypers flooding TikTok is just a continuation of Fuentes fight with younger conservative activists.

Last year, he started an online and in-person feud against the college student activist organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA)where Fuentes and his far-right fans trolled Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump Jr. for not having conservative enough principles.

Predominantly, they consider current conservatives weak on immigration and despise any support for Israel.

The move to the youth-focused platform has even been praised by the movements elders. Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, a fan of Fuentes immigration views, wrote on Telegram Tuesday night that while she supports the move to the social media site, she wouldnt be joining them.

Mommy Malkin is way too old for TikTok but I wholeheartedly support the mass migration of Groypers and AF-ers to that foreign soil, Malkin stated.

READ MORE:

Go here to see the original:
Nick Fuentes and his white nationalist Groyper Army have a new home on TikTok - The Daily Dot

Google Algorithm Continues To Spread Antisemitism And Holocaust Denial Contrary To Google’s Claim That It Has Removed Such Material – Middle East…

On Google's image search (images.google.com), benign search terms relating to Jews or Yiddish phrases yield alarmingly hateful and inciting results. Antisemitic and racist caricatures appear among top search results leading to white supremacist and conspiracy websites. Moreover, Google's search algorithm, which suggests additional search terms for the user to click on in order to narrow the search, includes primarily white supremacist and antisemitic terminology, leading the user toward further misinformation and other hateful content.

The following report shows the terms suggested by Google image search after inputting the Yiddish exclamation of surprise "oy vey," along with the terms "Shoah" Holocaust and others.

"Oy Vey"

After searching images.google.com with the term "oy vey", the engine suggests numerous additional related search terms. The first suggestions include: "merchant," "shoah," "6 trillion," "shlomo," and "6 million." Many of the images yielded by the search originate on platforms that are popular with white supremacists and neo-Nazis, including 4Chan, 8Chan, Reddit, and others. Clicking on these images will direct the user to those websites.

Screenshot of a Google Images search for the term "Oy Vey," showing the search terms suggested by the algorithm, including "merchant," "shoah" (paired with an image of the merchant), "6 trillion," "Shlomo," and "6 million."

One of the antisemitic images that appear among the first search results for the term "Oy Vey," originally from the online forum Reddit, shows popular white supremacist meme Pepe the Frog, here depicted as a Jewish caricature, with the text: "Knowing you would jew your own friends in a heartbeat."

Image of Pepe the Frog as a Jewish caricature with the text: "Knowing you would jew your own friends in a heartbeat."

The Happy Merchant

The first suggestion, "merchant," is paired with a thumbnail depicting a popular antisemitic caricature of a Jew, called the happy merchant, or simply the merchant. Clicking on the suggestion yields endless iterations of the antisemitic meme.

The results after clicking the suggested term "merchant."

Some examples of the images include the merchant character being sprayed with a can marked with a Star of David and the text "Jew-B-Gone." The merchant is depicted as weeping and saying "Oy Vey! It's like second Shoah!" The text on the bottom of the image reads: "Exterminates 99.99% of pesky rodents!" This image appears twice in the first three rows of search results. When clicking on the image, the Google algorithm suggests similar images, including one titled "Backstabbing Jew", depicting the Merchant hugging another figure and brandishing a knife behind their back.

One of the first results yielded by adding the suggested term "merchant."

Another result in the search above is a comic strip depicting the merchant brokering a trade of African slaves to the U.S. Africans are also represented in the comic with a racist stereotype,

Another of the first results yielded by adding the suggested term "merchant" is a racist and antisemitic depiction of the Jew as slave trader.

"Shoah"

"Shoah," referring to the Jewish Holocaust, is accompanied by a thumbnail of the same merchant caricature rendered on a pizza in a reference to the conspiracy theory known as Pizzagate.[1] Clicking on the suggestion yields similarly antisemitic results.

Results after clicking the suggested term "shoah."

One of the first images is a caricature of a grotesque Jewish figure, shown with a bag of money labeled "Your tax dollars," standing in a crematorium. The text around the image reads: "If you see this image while scrolling the first page you have been visited by the JEW OF OTHERWORLDLY GREED[;] Great riches and prosperity will come to you but only if you post 'Muh six million, it's a whole new shoah!' in this thread[.] Oy very, it's a whole new shoah!"

Image result for searching the suggested term "shoah."

Another image shows the merchant figure saying: "Oy vey I can't believe you want to gas six million more of my ancestors. Tis like anudda shoah." The other character responds: "I don't want to become a minority in a nation build by my race and have what my ancestors built become a anti-white corporate shithole, I also question the Holocaust."

Image result for searching the suggested term "shoah."

Another image shows a different caricature of a Jew under the words "Six million!" holding up a magazine with the text "Holocaust Weekly."

Image result for searching the suggested term "shoah."

"6 Trillion"

The suggested search term "6 trillion," yields further antisemitic and Holocaust denial memes.

Results after clicking the suggested term "6 trillion."

The first result is a cartoon image depicting a Jewish figure as obese and disabled, in a room littered with fast food, guns, and Zionist posters.

Image result for searching the suggested term "6 trillion."

Another image shows a Jew with the text: "What the population of Europe drops below 50% European."

Image result for searching the suggested term "6 trillion."

Another image simply includes the text "Oyyyy veeeeeeyyyy!" with an antisemitic caricature of a Jew.

Image result for searching the suggested term "6 trillion."

"Shlomo Shekelstein"

The suggestion "shlomo" yields more antisemitic variations on the merchant character, who is frequently referred to as Shlomo or Shlomo Shekelstein.

Results after clicking the suggested term "Shlomo."

Among the many antisemitic caricatures is one depiction of the merchant character hiding behind a mask of a seemingly normal human.

Image result for searching the suggested term "shlomo."

Another result is a parody of a movie poster with two merchant figures, alluding to the supposedly treacherous nature of the Jew. The text reads: "Dr. Shekyll nad Mr. Kike[;] a Bagel Brothers Production[;] See Shlomo Shekelberg in the role he was born to play!"

Image result for searching the suggested term "Shlomo."

Another result shows a meme featuring Pepe the Frog torturing the merchant character. The text reads: "You racist bigots said the Jews were lying about pedal powered skull smashers. Read it and weep. 1943 Auschwitz, colorized."

Image result for searching the suggested term "Shlomo."

"6 Million Wasn't Enough"

The suggested term "6 million" yields more antisemitic memes, prompting additional search terms like "shlomo," and "wasnt enough."

Top results include an image of prisoners in a Nazi concentration camp, with the text "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

[1] Snopes.com/fact-check/pizzagate-conspiracy, accessed March 18, 2020.

View post:
Google Algorithm Continues To Spread Antisemitism And Holocaust Denial Contrary To Google's Claim That It Has Removed Such Material - Middle East...

10 ways to spot online misinformation – The Conversation US

Propagandists are already working to sow disinformation and social discord in the run-up to the November elections.

Many of their efforts have focused on social media, where peoples limited attention spans push them to share items before even reading them in part because people react emotionally, not logically, to information they come across. Thats especially true when the topic confirms what a person already believes.

Its tempting to blame bots and trolls for these problems. But really its our own fault for sharing so widely. Research has confirmed that lies spread faster than truth mainly because lies are not bound to the same rules as truth.

As a psychological scientist who studies propaganda, here is what I tell my friends, students and colleagues about what to watch out for. That way, they can protect themselves and each other from lies, half-truths and misleading spins on current events.

If something you see online causes intense feelings especially if that emotion is outrage that should be a red flag not to share it, at least not right away. Chances are it was intended to short-circuit your critical thinking by playing on your emotions. Dont fall for it.

Instead, take a breath.

The story will still be there after you verify it. If it turns out to be real, and you still want to share it, you may also want to consider the fire you may be contributing to. Do you need to fan the flames?

During these unprecedented times we have to be careful about not contributing to emotional contagions. Ultimately, you are not in charge of alerting the public to breaking news, and youre not in any race to share things before other people do.

A new tactic being adopted by misinformation warriors is to post feel-good stories that people will want to share. Those pieces may be true or may have as much truth as urban legends. But if lots of people share those posts, it lends legitimacy and credibility to the fake source accounts that originally post the items. Then those accounts are well positioned to share more malicious messages when they judge the time is right.

These same agents use other feel-good ploys as well, including attempts to play on your vanity or inflated self-image. Youve probably seen posts saying Only 1% of people are brave enough to share this or take this test to see if you are a genius. Those arent benign clickbait theyre often helping a fraudulent source get shares, build an audience, or in the case of those personality quizzes or intelligence tests they are trying to get access to your social media profile.

If you encounter a piece like this, if you cant avoid clicking then just enjoy the good feeling it gives you and move on. Share your own stories rather than those of others.

What you read may make some extraordinary claim like the pope endorsing a U.S. presidential candidate when he has never endorsed a candidate before. Astronomer and author Carl Sagan advocated for the response you should have to such claims: Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, which is a longstanding philosophical premise. Consider whether the claim youre seeing was supported by any evidence at all and then check that the quality of that evidence out.

Also, remember that a quirk of human psychology means that people only need to hear something three times before the brain starts to think its true even if its false.

If youre reading something that matches so well with what you had already thought, you might be inclined to say Yep, thats true and share it widely.

Meanwhile, differing perspectives get ignored.

We are strongly motivated to confirm what we already believe and avoid unpleasant feelings associated with challenges to our beliefs especially strongly held beliefs.

It is important to identify and acknowledge your biases, and take care to be extra critical of articles you agree with. Try seeking to prove them false rather than looking for confirmation theyre true. Be on the lookout because the algorithms are still set up to show you things they think you will like. Dont be easy prey. Check out other perspectives.

Posts that are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors are prime suspects for inaccuracies. If the person who wrote it couldnt be bothered to spell-check it, they likely didnt fact-check it either. In fact, they may be using those errors to get your attention.

Similarly, a post using multiple fonts could unintentionally reveal that it had material added to the original or be trying to deliberately catch your eye. (Yes, the errors in the heading for this tip were intentional.)

Memes are usually one or more images or short videos, often with text overlaid, that quickly convey a single idea.

While we may all enjoy a good laugh with a new Ermahgerd meme, memes particularly those sowing political discord have actually been identified as one of the emerging mediums for propaganda. In recent years, the practice of using memes to incite divisiveness has rapidly escalated, and extremist groups are using them with increasing effectiveness.

For example, white supremacist groups have commandeered the Pepe the frog meme, a cartoonish image that may attract younger audiences.

Their origins as benign, humorous images about grumpy cats, cats who want cheeseburgers or calls to keep calm and carry on have led our brains to classify memes as enjoyable or, at worse, harmless. Our guards are down. Plus their short nature further subverts critical thinking. Stay alert.

Was the post from an unreliable media outlet? The Media Bias/Fact Check website is one place to look to find out whether a particular news source has a partisan bias. You can also assess the source yourself. Use research-based criteria to judge the quality and balance of the evidence presented. For instance, if an article expresses an opinion, it may present facts slanted in a way favorable to that opinion, rather than fairly presenting all the evidence and drawing a conclusion.

If you find that youre looking at a suspect site, but the specific article seems accurate, my strong suggestion is to find another credible source for the same information, and share that link instead. When you share something, social media and search-engine algorithms count your sharing as a vote for the overall sites credibility. So dont help misinformation sites take advantage of your reputation as a cautious and careful sharer of reliable information.

It may be surprising, but politicians and other public figures dont always tell the truth. It may be accurate that a particular person said a particular sentence, but that doesnt mean the sentence is correct. You can double-check the alleged fact, of course, but you can also see how truthful particular people are.

If youre hearing information from a friend, of course, theres no website. Youll have to rely on old-fashioned critical thinking to evaluate what she says. Is she credible? Does she even have sources? If so, how reliable are those sources? If evaluating the message is too much work, maybe just stick with the like button and skip the share.

If you find something that seems compelling and true, check out what nonpartisan sources say on the subject. For a view of media outlets perspectives, take a look at the Media Bias Chart.

Finding no mention of the topic in nonpartisan media may suggest the statement or anecdote is just a talking point for one side or the other. At minimum, ask yourself why the source chose to write or share that piece. Was it an effort to report and explain things as they were happening, or an attempt to influence your thinking or actions or your vote?

There are a lot of reputable fact-checking organizations, like Snopes and FactCheck. There is even a dedicated meme-checking site. It doesnt take long to click over to one of those sites and take a look.

But it can take a very long time to undo the harm of sharing misinformation, which can reduce peoples ability to trust evidence and their fellow humans.

To protect yourself and those in your social and professional networks be vigilant. Dont share anything unless youre sure its true. Misinformation warriors are trying to divide American society. Dont help them. Share wisely.

[Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research. Sign up for our newsletter.]

See the original post:
10 ways to spot online misinformation - The Conversation US