Tag Archives: Deception

27Jul/26

Fact Checking Becomes A Combat Sport

July 27, 2026Developers.google, Deception, Knockout, Media manipulation, Misinformation, Post-truth, RP, Submission, Truthadmin

Knockout the Nonsense: Step into the Gamified Myth-Busting Arena of Ubunk It!

Mon, July 27 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The provided text outlines Ubunk, a gamified platform designed to help users combat misinformation through interactive challenges. Users earn Reputation Points by completing daily missions, such as submitting claims to an AI Referee or participating in fact-based trivia. This system allows participants to ascend through various Weight Class divisions, moving from a beginner status to more advanced ranks based on their performance. The interface encourages critical thinking by rewarding the use of verified sources and the identification of logical fallacies during “duels.” Furthermore, the platform features a social element where individuals can cheer for successful debunks or share fight verdicts with a broader audience. Ultimately, the source serves as a tactical guide for mastering the art of myth-busting in a competitive, digital environment.
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24Jul/26

Boxing training against digital manipulation

July 24, 2026Media.google, Artificial intelligence, Boxing, Computational neuroscience, David M. Rubenstein, Dawna Williams, Deception, Deep learning, Deepfake, Detroit, Generative AI, Hallucination, Large language model, Media literacy, Media studies, Misinformation, Muhammad Ali, Pepsi, Reddit, Tel Avivadmin

Inside the Rhetorical Sparring Ring: UBUNK’s Plan to Knockout Online Nonsense

Fri, July 24 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The core philosophy and mission behind the UBUNK platform center on actively confronting falsehoods and proving oneself as a “heavyweight truth-teller”. It embraces a rigorous, arena-like environment where users are invited to “Step into the arena” and “Knockout the nonsense,” using the metaphor of a gym to emphasize the active and potentially competitive nature of seeking and defending the truth. Continue reading →

24May/26

The UBUNK Paradigm: Navigating Truth, Myth, and Endurance

May 24, 2026BoxingArticles, Artificial general intelligence, Artificial intelligence, Branches of philosophy, Cambridge, Catherine Phiri, Claude, Computational neuroscience, Deception, dopamine, Fake news, Gamification, Gaming, Intelligent agent, Kevin Young, Learning, London, Media manipulation, Misinformation, oxytocin, P.T. Barnum, Philosophy, Propaganda techniques, Reason, Sander van der Linden, Sonnet, Truthadmin

Beyond Fact-Checking: How AI and Gamification are Creating a Resilient Digital Citizen

Sun, May 24 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The modern digital landscape is overwhelmed by a flood of algorithmic misinformation, historical hoaxes, and sensationalism designed to exploit human biases and emotional reactions. Because traditional, passive fact-checking is often too slow and tedious to compete with viral lies, researchers and technologists are pivoting toward active, gamified behavioral conditioning to build societal resistance against fake news. Continue reading →

01Apr/26

April Fools’ in the Science Classroom: Using Pranks to Build Media Literacy

April 1, 2026ScienceAlan Sokal, Anti-vaccine activism, Criticism of postmodernism, Deception, Fake news, Great Moon Hoax, John Bohannon, John Herschel, Lying, Media manipulation, Michael Eisen, Michael Peacock, Misinformation, Propaganda techniques, Richard Adams Locke, Richard Dimbleby, Sokal affair, Spaghetti, Spaghetti-tree hoax, United Kingdomadmin

From Moon-Bats to Deepfakes: How Scientific Hoaxes Expose the Flaws in Our Information Ecosystem

April 1, 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The Evolution and Impact of Scientific Deception Throughout history, scientific hoaxes and misinformation have challenged our epistemological frameworks and tested the limits of institutional authority. While these deceptions have occasionally caused public harm, they also paradoxically serve as vital catalysts for improving methodological rigor, journalistic standards, and public media literacy. Continue reading →

21Jan/26

The Evolution of Digital Deception: How 2025 Scams Blended into Daily Online Life

January 21, 2026SecurityComputer security, Cybercrime, Deception, Deepfake, Facebook, Fraud, Malvertising, Phishing, Reddit, Social media, Symbian software, Twitter, WhatsAppadmin

Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Q4 2025 Gen Threat Report highlights a significant shift in cybercrime, where fraudulent advertisements and deepfake content have become the primary methods for targeting consumers. These findings indicate that attackers are increasingly exploiting trusted social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube to host fake online shops and deceptive investment schemes. Rather than using complex technical exploits, modern scams trick individuals into performing routine digital actions, such as clicking links or scanning QR codes, to compromise their data. The report also identifies GhostPairing attacks and a sharp rise in identity-related breaches as growing risks that bridge the gap between mobile and desktop devices. Ultimately, the data warns that malvertising has evolved into a sophisticated tool that allows threats to blend seamlessly into everyday internet browsing. Continue reading →

02Dec/25

Fraud’s New Frontier: AI, Deepfakes, and Global Networks

December 2, 2025Security.google, Artificial intelligence, Crimes, Deception, Deepfake, Fraud, Generative artificial intelligence, Identity theft, Impersonator, Liveness test, OpenAI, Phishing, Rwanda, Synthetic media, Text-to-image generation, Top-5, Zambiaadmin

Dec. 02, 2025 /Mpelembe Media/ — The Sumsub Fraud Report 2025-2026 focuses on the “Sophistication Shift,” which describes the fundamental change in identity fraud from high-volume, basic attempts to fewer, more targeted, and financially damaging AI-enabled operations. This shift is driven primarily by the industrialisation of deception via generative AI, leading to an explosion in deepfakes and highly realistic synthetic identities across all major digital ecosystems. The analysis provides comprehensive regional breakdowns for Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and North America, demonstrating that even in markets where overall fraud rates are stabilising, the remaining attacks are significantly more complex and harder to detect. Continue reading →

03May/25

Perfect storm of tech bros, foreign interference and disinformation is an urgent threat to press freedom

May 3, 2025MediaBrazil, China, Creative Commons, Deception, Disinformation, Disinformation attack, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Fake news, Hungary, India, Internet manipulation and propaganda, Jair Bolsonaro, Jeff Bezos, Journalism, Lying, Mark Zuckerberg, Media manipulation, Misinformation, Moldova, Propaganda, Propaganda techniques, Robert Fico, RT, Russia, SHUTTERSTOCK, Slovakia, Tom Felle, Twitter, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Viktor, VOICE OF AMERICAadmin

Tom Felle, University of Galway

Media freedom has long been essential to healthy democracy. It is the oxygen that fuels informed debate, exposes corruption and holds power to account. But around the world, that freedom is under sustained attack.

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23Nov/24

Parents lie to children all the time – but they should think twice about it

November 23, 2024FamilyBen, Creative Commons, Deception, Immanuel Kant, Lie, Lying, Rebecca Brown, Sally, SHUTTERSTOCK, Truth-default theoryadmin

Rebecca Brown, University of Oxford

Parents frequently lie to their children. “No, you can’t have any chocolate – it’s all gone,” when there’s a jumbo bar of Dairy Milk in the cupboard. “No, you can’t have my phone to watch YouTube – the battery’s flat,” when it’s at a solid 65%.

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06Jan/24

Four tips for a healthy news diet in 2024, from an expert in media psychology

January 6, 2024MediaCreative Commons, Deception, Emotion, Filter bubble, Influence of mass media, Internet manipulation and propaganda, Media bias, Misinformation, Sharon Coen, SHUTTERSTOCK, Social influence, Social media, Social media as a news sourceadmin

Sharon Coen, University of Salford

The start of the new year brings inevitable pressure to start fresh, with new hobbies, exercise regimes and healthy diets. But there is one diet you may not have thought of improving this year: your media and news consumption.

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02Jan/24

2024: The year of democratic elections

January 2, 2024PoliticsAlgeria, Artificial intelligence, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Confidence tricks, Deception, Deepfake, Disinformation, Fact-checking, Fake news, Finland, Ghana, Hasina, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Internet manipulation and propaganda, Jair Bolsonaro, Liechtenstein, Lying, Media manipulation, Mexico, Misinformation, Pakistan, Propaganda techniques, Senegal, Social media, South Africa, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United Statesadmin

Jan. 2, 2024 /Politics/ — 2024 is shaping up to be a bumper year for elections! Here are some noteworthy examples beyond the UK and USA: Continue reading →