Web of Deceit : Misinformation and Manipulation in the Age of Social Media

Skilled researchers, journalists, and subject experts have come together in this follow-up to Web of Deception to reveal important lessons for staying safe and retaining privacy online. In the wake of the social media popularity boom—epitomized by MySpace, eBay, and Craigslist and accelerating with Facebook and Twitter—the success of internet con artists and thieves has been quick to follow. Manipulators have been provided with the tools and targets to perpetrate hoaxes and con games on an ever larger scale. An invaluable guide to safe internet usage, this resource explains the importance of guarding privacy and identity online, spotting misinformation, avoiding charity scams, and evaluating websites.

For all its amazing benefits, the worldwide social media phenomenon—epitomized by such sites as Facebook, Myspace, eBay, Twitter, and craigslist—has provided manipulative people and organizations with the tools (and human targets) that allow hoaxes and con games to be perpetrated on a vast scale.

 

In this eye-opening follow-up to her popular 2002 book, Web of Deception, Anne P. Mintz brings together a team of expert researchers, journalists, and subject experts to explain how misinformation is intentionally spread and to illuminate the dangers in a range of critical areas.

 

Web of Deceit is a must-read for any internet user who wants to avoid being victimized by liars, thieves, and propagandists in the age of ubiquitous social media.

Cover Title Page Copyright Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION If It’s on the Internet, It Must Be True CHAPTER 1 Social Media and Intentional Misinformation Meg Smith CHAPTER 2 They Know Where You Live: Guarding Your Privacy and Identity Cynthia Hetherington CHAPTER 3 Demonizing the “Other” Eli Edwards CHAPTER 4 Ebuyer Beware Ben Fractenberg CHAPTER 5 Information Warfare and Cybersecurity Deborah A. Liptak CHAPTER 6 The Intentional Misleading of the American Public: Political Misinformation Laura Gordon-Murnane CHAPTER 7 Charity Scams Craig Thompson CONCLUDING THOUGHTS Anne P. Mintz APPENDIX A Evaluating Websites Amber Benham APPENDIX B The Technologies of Deceit: An Annotated Glossary Deborah A. Liptak ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS INDEX Introduction: if it's on the internet, it must be true / Anne P. Mintz Social media and intentional misinformation / Meg Smith They know where you live : guarding your privacy and identity / Cynthia Hetherington Demonizing the "other" / Eli Edwards Ebuyer beware / Ben Fractenberg Information warfare and cybersecurity / Deborah A. Liptak The intentional misleading of the American public : political misinformation / Laura Gordon-Murnane Charity scams / Craig Thompson Concluding thoughts / Anne P. Mintz Appendix A: Evaluating websites / Amber Benham Appendix B: The technologies of deceit : an annotated glossary / Deborah A. Liptak About the contributors Index.