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Vassy Kapelos: This might be Canada's most persistent piece of fake news. It comes from a 2004 letter to the editor printed in The Toronto Star. It says refugees in Canada receive more money from the government than retired citizens.

It's not true. In fact, a retired Canadian is eligible for about double what a refugee gets, depending on the province. But you can still find the falsehood circulating online, even though The Star and the Canadian government debunked it.

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You should also know that Jagmeet Singh is not wanted for terrorism in 15 countries. Nor did the mayor of Dorval, Quebec stand up to Muslim families who asked to take pork off school menus. He didn't do that. They never asked.

And this website that looks like a local Quebec news site, it's actually an advertising revenue scheme based in Ukraine. All of this fake news seems to unravel with just a little bit of digging. So why do people keep falling for it? And how can you better spot it?

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First, let's get clear about the definition.

Man: This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration period.

Vassy Kapelos: Fake news has been used to describe everything from political spin to pranks to conspiracy theories, even to media outlets politicians don't like.

Donald Trump: You are fake news.

I like real news, not fake news. You're fake news.

The fake news, the enemy of the people.

Vassy Kapelos: That's why researchers say we should stop using those words and instead say misinformation or disinformation. They define disinformation as the deliberate creation or sharing of false information to mislead people. Misinformation is the act of sharing information without realizing it's wrong.

Whether it's a headline designed to sway opinions, make money, or it's simply just misconstrued, sharing this stuff can have real consequences. Misleading social posts shared in 2017 encouraged Haitian asylum seekers to try and cross into Canada from the US. Whatsapp messages like this one said Canada had invited all Haitian nationals in the US to apply for residency.

It wasn't true. But for people facing possible deportation back to Haiti, it was something they wanted to hear. Researchers say there are a ton of reasons people share fake news. Some are just sharing stuff that they agree with. Some are deliberately making trouble. Others just don't know what they're sharing is false.

Gordon Pennycock: I do research on human reasoning, decision making. I research essentially the science of humans today.

Vassy Kapelos: Gordon Pennycook says social media platforms prime people to be quote, "lazy thinkers."

Gordon Pennycock: Mostly, it's just pictures of dogs and babies and things like that. And you might come across a news article. But you're not really in this sort of mode that you ought to be in when you're engaging with actual news content.

Vassy Kapelos: Among other things, his research looked at the effect of repeat exposure.

Gordon Pennycock: We basically showed people fake news headlines in the format that they would be on social media. And what we showed is that a single prior exposure to a fake news headline increases later belief in that headline, regardless of whether the person remembers having seen it before.

Vassy Kapelos: Now, consider the convincing nature of a video clip. Check out this moment between Prime Minister Trudeau and Brazil's President Bolsonaro at the G20. Clips of it started circulating online with partisan groups saying it showed a quote, "awkward and pathetic" Trudeau being snubbed on the world stage.

Global news tried to clarify the disinformation by tweeting a longer version of the video showing the two men did, in fact, shake hands. But you'll notice that the correct information didn't spread as far as the disinformation. And that, experts will tell you, is what's wrong with social media.

Taylor Owen: Ultimately, it's calibrated for engagement so that the more people are enraged and engaged and ultimately divided on these sites, the more they use them, and the more they post, and the more they share, which is ultimately good for the platforms and the business model of the platforms.

Vassy Kapelos: Taylor Owen studies the political impact of digital technology at McGill University. He says people should be skeptical of content that makes them angry, especially during an election year.

Taylor Owen: Pipelines, reconciliation, immigration, these things that we already know are in the popular debate, how are they being amplified? How are they being torqued by people trying to divide us against each other?

Vassy Kapelos: So what else can you do to prevent falling for disinformation? Well, be skeptical of what you see online. Read the whole article. Sometimes that sensational headline doesn't match the body of the story.

Ask yourself, is the author or organization familiar to you? Are they reputable? Are other reputable outlets reporting the story, too?

Look at the URL. If the content is imitating a legitimate site, the branding might match. But the URLs won't.

If you really want to dig, try a Google reverse image search of photos in the story. And if you see something that's fake or misleading, report it to the platform you saw it on. But here's the problem. Not everyone has the time, skill, or will to do this kind of sleuthing.

Gordon Pennycock: It's not just not knowing that much about the world. It's not ignorance. It's just not being kind of that willing to think about things, which is a different sort of stupidity.

Vassy Kapelos: So what's the solution? While there's no single easy answer--

Jason Reifler: Fact checking has the potential to be a really helpful and powerful medium. So holding politicians to account for the incorrect things that they say.

Vassy Kapelos: Jason Reifler studies public opinion and political psychology at the University of Exeter in the UK. He says news organizations, journalists, and social media platforms all have a role in preventing the spread of disinformation. But studies show little things you do can help, too.

Jason Reifler: And on the individual level basis, calling our friends and relatives out in a nice-- not into what starts as a huge political argument. But just pointing out when they're saying things that aren't correct but that can have a beneficial effect.

Mark Zuckerberg: As the world gets bigger and more connected, we need that sense of intimacy more than ever.

Vassy Kapelos: Facebook says it's employed fact checkers and moderators and will take down accounts that try to interfere with the election. Plus governments around the world have been turning up the pressure on companies like Facebook to do more.

Justin Trudeau: The platforms are failing their users.

Vassy Kapelos: Canada has also signaled it's considering penalties for tech platforms that don't clamp down on disinformation.

Justin Trudeau: And if they don't, we will hold them to account. And there will be meaningful financial consequences.

Vassy Kapelos: But they haven't acted specifically on that.

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