New Pitt lab will work to fight disinformation
Disinformation stinks, right? The problem is that in America right now — so deeply divided politically and drowning in social media — it’s tough agreeing on what disinformation is, much less spotting the culprit as it creeps onto our cellphones, our laptops and, eventually, our political discourse.
Enter the University of Pittsburgh, which Wednesday announced creation of a Disinformation Lab. Its aim is to help put a dent in a problem that increasingly infects conversations from COVID-19 vaccines to presidential election politics.
The lab is part of Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security. Staff at the new entity seeks to work collaboratively with other experts, including those at Carnegie Mellon University, to address an emerging societal worry.
“Disinformation threatens our health, undercuts our security and undermines our democracy. Yet, despite high-profile attention to these cascading problems, effective countermeasures remain elusive,” officials at Pitt said in announcing the new lab. “The Pitt [lab] goes beyond passive detection and reporting to create a new, community-centered system of malign influence warning, understanding and response.”
Pitt’s Disinformation Lab “connects and empowers communities to rearrange the pixels of disinformation campaigns for future resilience,” its website says. “Where disinformation attempts to wear down society and trust in institutions, PDL strengthens the bonds between universities and neighborhoods, rural and urban citizens, the media and the public; to forge stronger networks of information that support our governance and problem-solving today and into the future.”
The job of dealing with misinformation does not lie solely with government or with online platforms but also those situated more locally, said David Hickton, a former U.S. attorney and the institute’s director.
“There is this illusion that social media is somehow separate and disconnected from reality and our pre-pandemic communities,” said the lab’s director, Michael Colaresi. “If we buy into that illusion and keep our heads in the cloud, we become trapped in a not-so-funhouse of mirrors where facts and truth are difficult or even impossible to discern. Facebook’s algorithms cannot tell fact from fiction by design.”
Speaking by phone Wednesday, Mr. Colaresi said the lab’s intent is to do more than simply fact-check information, but instead delve into online platforms, how they are moderated and understand the proliferation of supposed facts and develop countermeasures.
It can run the gamut from misinterpretation based on assumptions to more willful acts by “those sitting on the sidelines, chipping away at trust in institutions” from government and media to other community organizations, he said.
It is a phenomenon that has long been present but — to an extent — is propelled today by the ability to spread messages instantaneously through cyberspace through avenues such as Facebook and Twitter.
Its source can come from the left and on the right.
“It’s important not to politicize this,” he said.
Everyone is vulnerable to manipulation. Understanding the spread requires not only a national view but also one that is local.
“Our best chance to fight the centrifugal forces spinning disinformation is to make sure we have our feet on the ground in Western Pennsylvania,’’ he added.
The lab’s intent is to provide “early warnings of influential dis-, mis- and malinformation for Western Pennsylvania and the nation,” create and encourage mitigation, and “fire-proof against the influence of future disinformation campaigns,” Pitt officials said in announcing the endeavor.
The lab lists 15 individuals who will be involved in the work, including director Mr. Colaresi, who is also the William S. Dietrich II professor of political science at Pitt’s Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences.
A fact-based society must have the capability of discerning mistruths and halftruths. That is increasingly hard when actors aided by digital technology can distort language and create misleading images to pursue an agenda, experts said.
Pitt officials said in announcing the initiative that, “Dis-, mis- and malinformation have become increasingly problematic in the United States and beyond. Campaigns that weave together false and misleading messages have played a prominent role in driving vaccine hesitancy, the Jan. 6 events at the Capitol and what some Pitt researchers identify as a dangerous erosion of public support for democracy.”
Those involved in the lab say they want to work collaboratively with other entities, among them:
• The Center for Informed Democracy & Social - cybersecurity (IDeaS) at Carnegie Mellon University.
• Collaboratory Against Hate, Pitt and CMU.
• Pitt’s Institute of Politics. • Pitt Community Engagement Center at Homewood.