Resources
Resources
"Empowerment isn't a buzzword among leadership gurus. It's a proven technique where leaders give their teams the appropriate training, tools, resources, and guidance to succeed."
John Rampton
This section complements the web page on Fighting Fake and provides details of websites, blogs, videos, articles and teaching resources that are concerned with exposing fake, seeking the truth, and improving the quality of public information.   I am keen to hear from anyone who can help improve this resource — and preferably by reducing the number of items / links rather than increasing them![1]
Page Contents
1   Overview
2   Recent Publications
It is hopeless trying to keep up with all the publications on 'fake news', conspiracy theory, post-truth, Big Data and artificial intelligence, cybercrime and information warfare that are appearing — well over 300 in the last 18 months, and that's just in English!

I have reproduced below the book / report covers of many of these publications, roughly sorted under ten broad headings — clearly some titles could be listed under a number of categories... I have made no attempt to evaluate or sort the titles. Please note that a number of the publications identified are available online (for free). The book covers are shown roughly in the order in which I became aware of them. If there are important publications I've missed, please let me know.
3   Videos & Podcasts
The videos selected deal in one way or another with our main concerns about democracy in the Information Age, and in particular, developments in artificial intelligence and social media, and the problems associated with information overload, misinformation and malicious propaganda. The material is grouped under specific headings.
On getting the balance right...
The choice of material is necessarily eclectic. We hope to gradually improve the balance of ideas / perspective on developments. If you would like to suggest items to add — or videos / comment you think we should remove — please get in touch with your suggestions (and your reasoning). Thank you!
Please Note: Some website operators (like the BBC) don't allow you to show their videos directly, so you need to go to their website. We've provided a link. On a few of the links you will find irritating adverts, but they only last as few seconds... By copying the BBC News logo here we are NOT suggesting  that the BBC puts out 'fake news', rather that it is easy to hijack familiar symbols and corrupt them. Indeed, much 'fake news' contains some element of truth. So do be careful. Some messages are subliminal!
4   Resources for Teachers
You can find useful teaching resources about the some of the above subjects on the following sites — we hope to add more sites shortly. Suggestions most welcome!
5   Resources for Parents
Many organisations provide good advice for parents regarding internet safety.  Here are a couple of examples. Suggestions most welcome!
a)   Internet Matters
Internet Matters is a not-for-profit organisation that has a simple purpose – "to empower parents and carers to keep children safe in the digital world." It works "collaboratively across industry, government and with schools to reach UK families with tools, tips and resources to help children benefit from connected technology smartly and safely." It says it is working hard to become "an established go-to destination for parents who want advice and support about how to keep children safe online."
Watch the short video to learn more about what it does and the resources it offers parents.
b)   National Grid for Learning
You will also find a lot of useful material on The National Grid for Learning (which originally was a UK government-funded "gateway to educational resources on the Internet".  It was set up specifically to support English schools (separate 'grids' were set up for schools in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales).
UK Council on Internet Safety
The UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) is "a collaborative forum through which government, the tech community and the third sector work together to ensure the UK is the safest place in the world to be online. It is part of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, the Department for Education and the Home Office. Priority areas of focus include:
  • online harms experienced by children such as cyberbullying and sexual exploitation;
  •   radicalisation and extremism;
  •   violence against women and girls;
  •   serious violence;
  •  hate crime and hate speech and forms of discrimination against groups protected under the Equality Act, for example on the basis of disability or race.
6   Resources for Journalists
Lucca RF has produced an excellent guide for journalists —  as he says, the dangers to journalist are ever-increasing: "without the proper protection from online threats, you risk hackers stealing confidential information, exposing your sources, breaking anonymity, and getting hold of your unpublished stories. You’d be a prime victim for blackmail — or worse."
Lucca's 'Quick Guide' includes: 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy. Here's a brief overview — but you need to see the original, which is argued in detail:
  1.  Send Messages on Secure Apps with end-to-end encryption;
  2.  Secure Your Emails to prevent them being exposed in data breaches, by hackers, or by the government;
  3.  Encrypt All Your Devices;
  4.  Visit Websites Starting HTTPS, especially on public WiFi;
  5.  Use a Private Internet Browser that keeps your online history safe;
  6.  Stay Anonymous Online with a VPN [Virtual Private Network];
  7.   Use a Zero-Knowledge Cloud Provider;
  8.   Create Strong Passwords;
  9.   Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA);
  10.   Watch out for Basic Dangers/Avoid making basic mistakes
  11.   Use an Alternative to Slack in the Newsroom;
  12.   Educate Your Sources and Colleagues.
[Lucca is a tech writer with a focus on cyber security, cryptocurrency, and logistics, who has been researching government overreach via digital surveillance for several years, and his interest in VPNs and online safety goes hand-in-hand with this.]
7   Other Resources
Notes
1    Please note that with respect to website links, we have a simple rule — no more than 10 references per topic (and preferrably 5). If you'd like to suggest an article or website for inclusion, please let us know which of the other papers you think we should replace. (We can't guarantee to accept your suggestions, but we will consider them.) Also, we do not necessarily endorse  what is written in these linked sites . Readers should use their own judgement — please let us know if you think any of the material is inappropriate. Thank you!
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