A large proportion of users around the world are being misled by fake news that infiltrates online advertising. Speaking at the Westminster Forum Conference on tackling fake news and disinformation online, Konrad Shek, deputy director of the UK, said the advent of disinformation had had a huge impact on public trust and credibility in the media.
In more detail, Shek pointed out that numerous cases of false claims and distorted content have been recorded in commercial advertising. Fake news appears both on social media and in news feeds. Shek also added that scammers lurk online who use tactics to better promote ads, including adding “clicks” for misallocation, which can transfer advertisers’ money to malicious actors
The deputy director of the Advertising Association stressed that restricting advertising will not provide a solution to tackling online fraud. However, he said that one of the measures that can be taken is the use of standards and technology. Specifically, he highlighted that there are some industry standards that have anti-fraud certification processes, with technology that can help combat fraud associated with online advertising, with an ever-growing number of detection and prevention tools.
Another measure that needs to be taken to combat fake news and other online scams, according to Shek, is to provide support and assistance to the general public, so that they can build greater defenses and develop their critical thinking and skills. To make this possible, more investment should be made in digital literacy. In particular, Shek noted that we need to look at the media more critically – to look at advertisements with a more critical eye and ask ourselves what the motivation is behind each one.
Another measure that needs to be taken concerns political advertising. Specifically, to address fake news and disinformation, politicians and political parties in countries should work together to quickly find a joint solution, as uncontrolled political advertising erodes trust in all advertising.
Shek said that financial gain is a major factor in the misinformation, but there are other factors at play. Finally, he stressed that a holistic and interdisciplinary approach is necessary, as it is difficult to distinguish what one sees online from what is real.
