Misinformation scenarios

scenarios misinformation

1 / 5

You have an assignment at school that you are struggling to complete. You are out of ideas and have searched all the reliable sources you knew, but to no avail. In the evening you chat with a classmate and tell him how hard a time this assignment has given you and that you do not know where else to look for resources. Then he suggests a website he used for his own assignment. You look, but you are not too sure that the site is reliable. The graphics are weird, and it has a subscription offer: “Support us at this link by filling in your details, just your phone number and full name!”. What do you do?

You use other sites to check the credibility of the information you found. If you are not sure, ask an adult you trust.

You use the information you found and complete your assignment.

You use the information you found and cite the source. If it is not reliable, it is not your problem.

2 / 5

One of your classmates shares news on his social media page with opinions that make you feel insecure, upset, troubled and sad. The news is about the decision of the municipality to move the migrants/refugees living in the area, from an organized hosting structure to another district of the city which is very run-down. It is even claimed that this operation will be carried out immediately. There is no statement in the text from a reliable source supporting all this. Only the words of the person who has posted the news. What do you do?

You search on the internet to see if there are other sites hosting this news. If it is not easy to find news in a language you recognize, be sure to discuss it with an adult you trust to see if they have heard something similar.

You do not check for the credibility of the news but ask your friend to stop sharing the news that upsets you.

You do not say anything. If he is sharing it publicly, then it must be true.

3 / 5

An article on a website claims that the government has decided to give a 500 euros allowance to all refugee/migrant children attending school. The criterion according to the article will be their promotion grade which should be 15 and above. In fact, the post reported that those children who meet the criteria will have to fill in an online form with their personal details by noon tomorrow, otherwise they will lose their right to the allowance. The publication has many spelling mistakes and a photo showing children holding a lot of money in their hands. What do you do?

I fill in my details without a second thought. Such opportunities should not be missed.

I search for the specific news to see if it has been published elsewhere on the internet. I also tell an adult I trust and ask for his/her opinion.

I call my friends and let them know about the allowance they are entitled to.

4 / 5

The same news you saw about the 500 euros allowance for refugee/migrant children attending school was seen by your friend Mohammed. But he, without checking the credibility of the news, thought it would be good to inform all your friends by posting it on his Instagram profile. He even posted the following comment: “Rush to fill in the form. Do not miss out on the 500 euros! It is a great opportunity!” Under the post there are many comments like: “I filled it in!”, “Thanks for informing us!”, “I hadn’t even seen it! Much appreciated!”, “Thank you!”.
You are really mad at Mohammed for misleading so many kids with news that is not true. You are going to meet him. How do you behave?

You attack him verbally by telling him that he is a fool for doing such things and getting others involved.

You tell him that you will report him to the police for spreading fake news and you refuse to discuss anything further with him.

You explain to him politely that it is fake news. You assure him that you understand he has unintentionally made a mistake but urge him – now that he knows – to take down the article and inform all his friends that it is fake.

5 / 5

A friend sends you a message on Instagram: “Have you seen this picture of you? When were you there?”. The photo shows you in an exotic place enjoying the sun and the sea. You have never been to such a place! You do not even recognize the clothes you are wearing in the photo. But the face is yours. It is definitely you. After thinking about it, you realize that someone has faked the photo using an artificial intelligence program. What do you do?

You ignore it. It is one photo among millions on the internet anyway, who cares? And it does not show anything inappropriate.

You send an offensive message to your friend threatening him that there will be retaliation. Then you look for a program to modify a photo of him and upload it online.

You report the posted photo to the platform explaining that it is false and misleading. Also, you explain to your friend that faking photos is not a joke but a practice that can hurt other people's feelings and can even lead him to the prosecutor. You also inform an adult you trust.

Your score is

The average score is 15%