PLEASE NOTE
I am in the process of reorganising (and rewriting) major sections of this website. This may mean that some content or links do not work as they should. There may be some duplication of ideas / material. I hope to have the new version up and running very shortly. Thank you for your patience.
This website explores the threat to social cohesion and democracy posed by 'fake news', lies and disinformation and discusses ways in which different agencies and organisations are working to tackle the problem. The website also provides guidance and advice on what individuals and groups can do to help

The two biggest challenges we face today are arguably climate change and the battle for truth —  that's once the Covid-19 pandemic has done its worst / been brought under control. 

Needless to say the trolls, miscreants, social outcasts and hostile foreign powers have been having a field day capitalising on the mayhem caused by the virus. There are no words to describe their behaviour...
Facebook Livestream
Time Constraints?
For a no-nonsense / no frills explanation of what this website has to offer and how it is structured go to Site Map; or if you prefer, the Videos Page  has a wealth of visual material dealing with all aspects of 'fake news' and disinformation. There's also a one page flier.

If you're sceptical about ‘fake news’ and think it's "nothing new" or “just a ploy" by Trump and his ilk to control the debate / deflect criticism then I suggest you watch this short video  [2 mins] — and if you still think 'fake news' is "much ado about nothing," then perhaps you will feel more at home here.
On This Page
This page provides an overview of the main pages on this site, and there are a dozen or so more which you can access via the page footer.
It is impossible to keep this website up-to-date given the speed at which technology, policy and events are evolving.  This is one reason why I set up a Facebook  page, to alert people to interesting developments. You might like to give it a try...
Please Note: The material contained on this site is for general information and educational purposes only. It is not intended and should not be construed to constitute legal advice — see Disclaimer. 
"The public will believe a simple lie rather than a complex truth."  Alexis de Tocqueville
Introduction
The Internet Society once observed that: “the Internet is proving to be one of the most powerful amplifiers of speech ever invented. It offers a global megaphone for voices that might otherwise be heard only feebly, if at all. It invites and facilitates multiple points of view and dialogue in ways unimaginable by traditional, one-way mass media.” The internet is becoming (to quote Bill Gates) “the town square for the global village of tomorrow.”
But as we become ever more dependent on this miracle of human ingenuity, there is growing concern at the internet’s darker side — as a facilitator and amplifier of ‘fake news’, disinformation, conspiracy theories, cybercrime, hate speech and pornography. Here are some less flattering descriptions of the internet: “an electronic asylum filled with babbling loonies" (Mike Royko); “the biggest lavatory wall in history” (AC Grayling); “democracy's revenge on democracy” (Molly Haskell).
Thanks to the likes of Presidents Putin and Trump we now live in a ‘post-truth’ world [1] where facts and opinions have become interchangeable, and experts, evidence and reasoned analysis are routinely scorned and dismissed.  And this has consequences: false promises, 'alternative facts' and 'fake news' confuse and mislead the public; they incite fear, suspicion and distrust, and they undermine social cohesion, democracy and the rule of law. They also limit our ability to tackle serious global issues, like controlling infectious diseases and addressing climate breakdown. We ignore these imposters at our peril.
“In the information age, it’s not just whose army wins but whose story wins."Joseph S Nye
Fighting Fake is a citizen’s initiative which is working to raise awareness of the threat to society and environmental sustainability posed by 'fake news' and disinformation and identify and highlight some of the many ways falsehoods can be tackled and perpetrators sanctioned/neutralised. It is also working to promote critical thinking and encourage those using social media to think carefully before posting material online which may contribute to the problem/damage social cohesion.
The main purpose of this website is to provide a 'one-shop-stop' for people seeking clarity and an overview of what is going on in this complex and fast-evolving aspect of our lives.
Apologies to Lincoln for messing up his famous lines... You will find countless examples of famous people's words being manipulated like this on the internet. If in any doubt about a quote, you can check on sites like:  Quote Inquisitor.
“How much more easily will a lie be able to spread when there’s video ‘evidence’
to back it up? Fake news? We’ve barely got started.”               Helen Lewis
We are drowning in unsolicited information and unable to tell good from bad/genuine from counterfeit; we confuse facts and opinions; and we are seduced by simplistic arguments. Moreover, we have lost faith in politicians and don’t trust the experts / commentators; we tend to take refuge in our own 'filter bubbles' / 'echochambers'. This influences the political debate and the way we vote, and it restricts our politicians' room to manoeuvre, and seriously limits governments' ability to govern.
Misinformation also undermines the mainstream media and makes it more difficult for professional journalists to cover important stories. Indeed, Trump's frequent claims that CNN, The Washington Post and other media outlets report ‘fake news’ has given credibility to the stories that Western news is 'made up' and cannot be trusted. This has increased global distrust and undermines the West and democracy (which is a major goal of autocratic governments). Whichever way you look at it, the extraordinary developments in computer power, mobile phone technology, social media and AI, whilst liberating and beneficial in so many ways, are also undermining social cohesion, democracy and the rule of law; and ultimately reducing our ability to tackle major environmental issues.
What's in a Word?
You get an indication that all is not well with the world from the ‘words of the year’ chosen recently by major dictionaries. They include ‘post-truth’, ‘fake news’ and ‘misinformation’.
And all the indications are that things are likely to get worse / more problematic with the expansion of the Internet of Thingsand Bodies (which some experts say are “built to leak”) and the intensification of disinformation campaigns including hyper-targeting [2], the proliferation of 'deep-fake' videos, and GPS spoofing.

These issues are explored on this page, where you will also find comments on Sir Tim Berners-Lee's 2019 BBC Richard Dimbleby Lecture and the recent launch of 'The Contract for the Web'.
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind… During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”                                                                                     George Orwell, 1984
False information is invariably bad and potentially dangerous.[3] It doesn’t matter whether it is circulated innocently by people wanting to inform, educate, amuse, impress or comfort others (ie misinformation), or whether it is spread deliberately by cynical individuals, criminals, theocrats or hostile foreign powers seeking to control, distract, deceive, embarrass, frighten, injure or undermine (ie disinformation), either way the consequences can be profound and far-reaching, and all too often, socially-divisive. Mal-information — information that is true but private/confidential and released in order to inflict harm (ie ‘doxxing’ — need a Glossary?).
In this section of the website we investigate the peddlers of lies, half-truths and 'alternative facts', from the immature or disturbed individual in his bedroom with his smart phone, tablet or laptop, to  extremist movements and hostile foreign powers who seek to destabilise or overthrow rival states; and we outline some of the broader consequences of their mischievous or sinister work. [It is important to draw a distinction between 'fake news', political spin, and media bias, and we do this on another page.]
"Politicians will respect, rather than manipulate, reality only if the public cares about the truth and punishes politicians when it catches them in deliberate deception." George Soros
Hundreds of agencies and institutions around the world are working to identify and expose misinformation and 'fake news' and or prepare people to deal with it.
There are professional bodies and educational establishments promoting critical thinking, media literacy and good journalism; there are non-governmental and citizen-based organisations (NGOs & CBOs) working to raise awareness and fighting to protect people's privacy and rights; there are also teams checking facts or devising tools to expose or neutralise fake; and there are government agencies and regulators working to devise effective legislation to curb 'fake news' and hate speech and prosecute perpetrators. And  then there are commercial data gathers and analysts, who help us understand the extent and nature of the problem with fake news; and last but by no means least, there are the big tech companies (Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), which are (belatedly) trying to purge their systems of bogus web sites and fake or extremist material.
In this section you can find out more about the work of these various bodies, and the techniques now being developed and deployed. We have also provided information on tools you can use yourself to spot various forms of fakery, or check the validity of websites, quotes and images.  The content is summarised in this short report.
“The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it.”      Albert Einstein
So what can individuals do in this fragile, crazy and unpredictable world, where false news, conspiracy theories and malicious cyber-activity is growing in frequency and impact? Well, there are things we all can do, not least be vigilant when using social media or re-posting material on line, or when we venture onto new and unfamiliar websites. We can also support bona fide organisations (like Wikipedia) , and follow or subscribe to national organisations that promote accurate reporting, science,  open rights, human dignity and or respect for privacy / freedom of expression.
We hope this page will inspire you to act. And if you do, and have more ideas and suggestions, please share them with us so we can promote them too.

6  Resources & Networking
"Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders."     Ronald Reagan
The Resources Section provides information and guides to help you spot misinformation and fake news, and also understand the psychology behind the liars, cheats and conspiracy theorists. There are also links to a page identifying dozens of recent Books and Reportsand also web sites where you will find a wealth of information and analysis. And there's a short paper on 'What is Truth?', which amongst other things explains why truth and trust are so important for human cooperation and flourishing.
The Videos Page covers everything from 'how to spot fake news' and 'how the tech giants grab and keep our attention', to 'the manipulation of speech and video' (ie 'deep-fakes') and 'reflexive control' (information warfare) — and  there's also a Glossary of post-truth terminology. Many new and unfamiliar words are creeping into our vocabulary, and that's in addition to the many technical words to do with computing and information management (doxxing, fauxtograph, nudging, spear phishing, truth bias, truthiness, etc.).
7   The Challenge Ahead
"The great conflict of the 21st century will not be between the West and terrorism... [but] between modern civilization and anti-modernists; between those who believe in the primacy of the individual and those who believe that human beings owe their allegiance and identity to a higher authority; between those who give priority to life in this world and those who believe that human life is mere preparation for existence beyond life; between those who believe in science, reason, and logic and those who believe that truth is revealed through Scripture and religious dogma."  Robert Reich
On 26th January 2017 the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock was moved from three to two-and-a-half minutes to midnight. The Clock is a symbol that represents a countdown to possible global catastrophe. It has been maintained since 1947 by The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 
The sources of tension in the world are many and diverse, and conflicts are never simple. Indeed, the factors that lead to tension are often historical, cultural or tribal, or they are associated with having control of, or access to natural resources. As populations grow, resources become further stretched and as climate disruption begins to bite we can confidently expect new tensions to develop and conflicts to break out. But the really big battle that has now been waging for some time is the battle for people’s minds.
If Robert Reich [4] is right [above quote] it is more than likely that misinformation and fake news will be the weapons of choice for many of the combatants, some of whom (like Putin) are masters in manipulating facts and playing psychological games. So these are some of the reasons why our collective attempts to tackle misinformation and fake news must not fail. Nothing less than peace and world order is at stake.
You will find some proposals on this webpage as to what needs to be done to take back control of our Digital Economy and rein in the small band of powerful digital monopolies.
A Small Request...
If you find this website interesting and thought-provoking, please tell your friends — and if you don't, please tell me (using the feedback form). And if you are inspired to actually do something, no matter how small, please let us know. Thank you!
Disclaimer & Corrections
The material contained on this site is for general information and educational purposes only. It is not intended and should not be construed to constitute legal advice. Indeed, the information may not be applicable to all situations and may not reflect the most current situation. It should not be relied on or acted upon without the benefit of professional legal advice. If you think there's an error in any aspect of the work, please let us know and we'll work to make any necessary corrections as quickly as possible.
Notes
1    For a defintion of the terms 'post-truth' and 'fake news' see Resources. Interesting to note that the Germans have opted for the term 'post-fact' ('postfaktisch'), which is arguably a better term.
2    We discuss hyper-targetting and other techniques for grabbing our attention on a separate page.
3   One must exclude from this category fiction and satire, which are powerful conveyors of ideas and opinion. Indeed, satire is turning out to be a very difficult medium for fact-checkers and regulators -- except in autocracies like Saudi Arabia where there are now laws to prosecute people who produce and distribute "content that ridicules, mocks, provokes and disturbs public order, religious values and public morals".
4   "Terrorism is a tactic, not a belief." writes Robert B. Reich, who is a Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley.