6 tips to spot and stop information manipulation

Information manipulation can prevent people from making informed decisions by misleading them. New technologies allow false or distorted content to spread faster and on a larger scale than ever before. To stop its harm, it is needed to learn how to recognise it. Factchecking can help set the record straight. Empowering citizens, independent fact-checkers and civil society is therefore essential.

What is information manipulation?

Information manipulation is a deliberate effort to mislead, create confusion and weaken trust in democracy and society, research and media. This can create or increase tensions and destabilise communities.

Six tips to protect yourself against manipulation

1. Verify if the source is credible:

Anonymous social media accounts should be viewed with caution.

Some actors even impersonate credible sources. So-called ‘doppelganger’ operations use clones of legitimate websites to spread false claims.

Watch out for unusual domain endings like ‘.ltd’, ‘.online’, or ‘.foo’. They might signal a deceptive website.

2. Check the source’s track record:

The best way to determine a source’s credibility is to look at its history.

If it doesn’t have a clear track record, try to learn more about it.

Trustworthy sources are transparent about their team, mission and funding. If you cannot identify who is behind it, be cautious.

3. Consider the tone being used:

One of the techniques to manipulate information is to use shocking or emotional language, to create enemies and assign blame.

If a source consistently uses such a tone and looks for scapegoats without credible proof, it might be trying to mislead you.