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Twitter bots played ‘disproportionate’ role in 2016 US polls: Study
New York, Nov 21 (IANS) Automated accounts or “bots” played a “disproportionate” role in spreading misinformation online during the 2016 US presidential polls, revealed an analysis of 14 million messages and four lakh articles shared on Twitter.
Researchers from the Indiana University in the US identified a mere six per cent of Twitter accounts that acted as bots and were enough to spread 31 per cent of the “low credibility” information on the network.
These accounts were also responsible for 34 per cent of all articles shared from “low credibility” sources.
“This study finds that bots significantly contribute to the spread of misinformation online as well as shows how quickly these messages can spread,” said lead author Filippo Menczer, Professor at the varsity.
The analysis, published in the journal Nature Communications, also revealed that bots amplify a message’s volume and visibility until it’s more likely to be shared broadly, despite only representing a small fraction of the accounts that spread viral messages.
“People tend to put greater trust in messages that appear to originate from many people,” added co-author Giovanni Luca Ciampaglia, an assistant research scientist from the varsity.
“Bots prey upon this trust by making messages seem so popular that real people are tricked into spreading their messages for them,” he noted.
Other tactics for spreading misinformation included amplifying a single tweet — potentially controlled by a human operator — across hundreds of automated retweets; repeating links in recurring posts; and targeting highly influential accounts.
The team also ran an experiment inside a simulated version of Twitter and found that the deletion of 10 per cent of the accounts — appearing to be bots — resulted in a major drop in the number of stories from low credibility sources in the network.
“This experiment suggests that the elimination of bots from social networks would significantly reduce the amount of misinformation on these networks,” Menczer said.
Although their analysis focused on Twitter, the researchers stressed that other social networks such as Snapchat and WhatsApp are also vulnerable to manipulation.
To combat misinformation, companies should improve algorithms to automatically detect bots and add a “human in the loop” to reduce automated messages in the system. For example, users might be required to complete a ‘Captcha’ to send a message, they suggested.
–IANS
rt/mag/bg
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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