WEBSITE EVALUATION

The internet is full of misinformation, because anyone can publish on it. Although this creates an environment of freedom it also creates an environment that lacks quality control. This lack of quality control requires the internet user to perform the filtering that is usually done for us in magazines, newsletters, journals, encyclopedias, books, and so on. The majority of published texts have agents, editors, publishers, and professional readers that scrutinize their material for mistakes, biases, or misinformation. The internet does not have this.

TYPES OF HOAX WEBSITES

Counterfeit Web sitesParodies & SpoofsQuestionable SitesMalicious Web sitesProduct SitesSubject-specific Misinformation

Where to go for help

MISINFORMATIONMisinformation on the Internet is, and always will be, a problem.Anyone can publish on itLack quality controlDoes misinformation = wrong?Opinion

COUNTERFEIT WEB SITESCounterfeit web sites are the most troublesome of hoax websites.A true counterfeit site is one that attempts to pass itself off as an authentic site.

COUNTERFEIT WEB SITES

The next two slides (slides 7 & 8) show the home pages of two websites claiming to be the website of the “World Trade Organization”. As you look at the two slides, try to determine which one is the real site. Go to slide 9 and take a look at an article written about the Counterfeit Website.

Website A

Website B

PARODIES AND SPOOFS

Definition: A literary or artistic work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule

These sites can cause particular problems when underlying pages are retrieved by a search engine and appear as discrete bits of information

PARODIES AND SPOOFS• Often aimed at politicians

• Because the satire is fairly obvious, there should be little occasion to mistake their content for truth.

• Unfortunately people often seem more gullible with Web information

PARODIES AND SPOOFSProducts can be targets to parodies as well

Absolute Vodka

PARODIES AND SPOOFSWHY?The employees of certain websites actually create fake web sites for a living.

FICTITIOUS SITESWhile all the above sites employ some degree of fiction, the sites categorized as fictitious are not primarily humorous in intent and not true parodies.

The previous slide shows a site that is an ambitious project hosted by the political science departments of the University of Dayton and used in various classes. The site is a composite of various simulations and games developed by social scientists over the past 20+ years. Rutitania was a mythical kingdom with a central European feel created by Anthony Hope in his Prisoner of Zenda and Rupert of Hentzau novels.

QUESTIONABLE SITESIs it real?

Some sites just make you wonder if people are for real? The author of this article contacted the designer of lip-balm anonymous and asked if they were a real site or a spoof. They responded that they considered themselves to be very real. You decide

MALICIOUS WEB SITESHate sites – too numerous to list

Most malicious web sites provide misinformation couched in quasi-academic discourse and subtle or dishonest misdirection about their intentions.

Example . . . .

PRODUCT SITESAll .com sites typically put their best face forward in an effort to sell something.

Many .com sites can offer reliable information, however, much of it is biased.

SUBJECT-SPECIFIC MISINFORMATION

Many degrees of misinformation exist on the Web. Deliberate to accidentalSerious to comicObvious to Subtle

SUBJECT-SPECIFIC MISINFORMATION

However, the most severe are in the areas of health and business.

Erroneous health information can lead to serious injury and bad business information can result in financial ruin.

Business

WHERE TO GO FOR HELP

The following sites are dedicated to tracking Internet hoaxes. www.nonprofit.net/hoax/hoax.html www.scambusters.org www.snopes.com http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html http://www.vmyths.com http://www.fraud.org/welmes.htm

CONCLUSION

The best protection one can have against misinformation is to adopt a critical stance toward all information on the Web.

Pursue the source of the information Always look for obvious clues in the URL

A dot-com or dot-org typically provides biased information. The bias may be slight, and may be one you agree with, but its still there.

If you encounter a slight deviation in the name, or there is a dot-org when you expected a dot-com – be aware

A ~”name” reflects a personal site and will represent personal views only

CONCLUSION

Look for: Comic language Lack of authority Lack of currency Biased view

Check suspicious domains

REFERENCES

Piper, S. Paul, 2005. Better Read that Again: Web hoaxes and misinformation. http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/sep00/piper.htm

http://www.philb.com/fakesites.htm