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| Paris Attacks Give Rise to Fakes and Misinformation | Paris Attacks Give Rise to Fakes and Misinformation |
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| On Friday, as terror attacks unfolded across Paris, rumors were spreading on the Internet even as people remained trapped inside the buildings that were under siege. | On Friday, as terror attacks unfolded across Paris, rumors were spreading on the Internet even as people remained trapped inside the buildings that were under siege. |
| As the shooting and bombings subsided, an image of a man in a suicide vest began circulating on Twitter. | As the shooting and bombings subsided, an image of a man in a suicide vest began circulating on Twitter. |
| On Facebook and Instagram, others shared a photo of a brunette woman who they said looked suspiciously similar to one who was spotted crying after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. | On Facebook and Instagram, others shared a photo of a brunette woman who they said looked suspiciously similar to one who was spotted crying after a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. |
| And tens of thousands of people shared a photo of a darkened Eiffel Tower on Twitter, claiming it was the first time the monument had gone dark since 1889. | And tens of thousands of people shared a photo of a darkened Eiffel Tower on Twitter, claiming it was the first time the monument had gone dark since 1889. |
| None of this was true. But all of it went viral. Why? | None of this was true. But all of it went viral. Why? |
| What happened in Paris fits into a pattern of behavior that seems to emerge every time a catastrophe strikes in real time: People will share anything online in order to share something online. | What happened in Paris fits into a pattern of behavior that seems to emerge every time a catastrophe strikes in real time: People will share anything online in order to share something online. |
| Mark Fenster, a law professor at the University of Florida who studies conspiracy theories, said participating in the spread of misinformation is compelling to people who see themselves as amateur sleuths. Mr. Fenster calls this the “Where’s Waldo?” element — the pleasure that comes from the discovery of similar-looking faces in pictures. | Mark Fenster, a law professor at the University of Florida who studies conspiracy theories, said participating in the spread of misinformation is compelling to people who see themselves as amateur sleuths. Mr. Fenster calls this the “Where’s Waldo?” element — the pleasure that comes from the discovery of similar-looking faces in pictures. |
| “It’s the same impulse that drove the Reddit craze in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing,” he wrote in an email, referring to the disastrous crowdsourcing debacle in which Reddit users misidentified people as suspects, and some journalists followed suit. | “It’s the same impulse that drove the Reddit craze in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing,” he wrote in an email, referring to the disastrous crowdsourcing debacle in which Reddit users misidentified people as suspects, and some journalists followed suit. |
| After the Paris attacks, a relatively harmless example emerged when soccer fans thought they saw Martin Kelly, a defender for Crystal Palace, in a photo taken in front of the Bataclan concert hall. But Mr. Kelly, who was safe, had to fact-check the sleuthing himself. | After the Paris attacks, a relatively harmless example emerged when soccer fans thought they saw Martin Kelly, a defender for Crystal Palace, in a photo taken in front of the Bataclan concert hall. But Mr. Kelly, who was safe, had to fact-check the sleuthing himself. |
| “It’s a game,” Mr. Fenster added. “The upside of that participation, obviously, is that crowdsourcing can help; the downside is the vigilantism and noise that resulted.” | “It’s a game,” Mr. Fenster added. “The upside of that participation, obviously, is that crowdsourcing can help; the downside is the vigilantism and noise that resulted.” |
| Internet sleuths who mistakenly tried to place Mr. Kelly at the Bataclan incorrectly hailed him as a hero. What they did to another man showed the darker side of social media activism. | |
| After the Paris attacks, someone doctored a photo of Veerender Jubbal, a Sikh man who months ago had posted a selfie taken in front of a mirror. He was holding an iPad. The image was altered to show Mr. Jubbal holding a Quran and wearing a suicide vest. (Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that has no relationship with Islam, or the Quran. Its adherents wear turbans and, like Muslims, face misunderstanding and discrimination.) | After the Paris attacks, someone doctored a photo of Veerender Jubbal, a Sikh man who months ago had posted a selfie taken in front of a mirror. He was holding an iPad. The image was altered to show Mr. Jubbal holding a Quran and wearing a suicide vest. (Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that has no relationship with Islam, or the Quran. Its adherents wear turbans and, like Muslims, face misunderstanding and discrimination.) |
| Mr. Jubbal’s likeness was spread online by Twitter users and journalists, and appeared on the front page of a Spanish newspaper before others began reversing course. | Mr. Jubbal’s likeness was spread online by Twitter users and journalists, and appeared on the front page of a Spanish newspaper before others began reversing course. |
| Grasswire, a crowdsourced newsroom, tried to issue a corrective message that showed the original photo next to the doctored image. | Grasswire, a crowdsourced newsroom, tried to issue a corrective message that showed the original photo next to the doctored image. |
| “I hope everyone has caught up with what is going on with me,” Mr. Jubbal wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “I went viral due to a photoshopped image claiming I am a terrorist.” The origins of the fake photo were unclear Monday. | “I hope everyone has caught up with what is going on with me,” Mr. Jubbal wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “I went viral due to a photoshopped image claiming I am a terrorist.” The origins of the fake photo were unclear Monday. |
| After the attacks, another recurring theme emerged on Facebook and Instagram: Skeptical users searched the crowd for familiar faces and attempted to link those people to past events. | After the attacks, another recurring theme emerged on Facebook and Instagram: Skeptical users searched the crowd for familiar faces and attempted to link those people to past events. |
| The practice of doing this is part of a wider Internet conspiracy about so-called crisis actors, or people who others believe are hired to join a mourning crowd during a catastrophic events. Conspiracy theorists believe that the actors are on the scene to exaggerate the facts, or be a part of a completely staged episode. | The practice of doing this is part of a wider Internet conspiracy about so-called crisis actors, or people who others believe are hired to join a mourning crowd during a catastrophic events. Conspiracy theorists believe that the actors are on the scene to exaggerate the facts, or be a part of a completely staged episode. |
| “For those who follow along at home,” Mr. Fenster wrote, “it’s confirmation of the existence of the conspiracy (“Hey, I recall that face from similar photos passed around after Sandy Hook!”), as well as is a way of sharing that same mixture of fright, disgust, and excitement.” | “For those who follow along at home,” Mr. Fenster wrote, “it’s confirmation of the existence of the conspiracy (“Hey, I recall that face from similar photos passed around after Sandy Hook!”), as well as is a way of sharing that same mixture of fright, disgust, and excitement.” |
| After the shootings at Sandy Hook, the website Snopes debunked the theory that actors had been hired to play students and parents. Snopes linked the activity back to conspiracy websites, discrediting the behavior. | After the shootings at Sandy Hook, the website Snopes debunked the theory that actors had been hired to play students and parents. Snopes linked the activity back to conspiracy websites, discrediting the behavior. |
| Malicious motives or conspiracy theories are not the only causes of misinformation. | Malicious motives or conspiracy theories are not the only causes of misinformation. |
| In the case of the Paris attacks, bungled attempts to share real-time news updates were rooted in misinformation and rumor: Quartz rounded up some of the more widespread examples, which included Twitter users sharing months-old messages from Pope Francis and Donald J. Trump. | In the case of the Paris attacks, bungled attempts to share real-time news updates were rooted in misinformation and rumor: Quartz rounded up some of the more widespread examples, which included Twitter users sharing months-old messages from Pope Francis and Donald J. Trump. |
| The practice is a bit like letting a hyperactive genie out of a bottle: Once the bad news spreads, and gets shared far and wide, it becomes difficult to correct. | |
| Even gestures of solidarity can be misattributed and misinterpreted. Soon after the attacks, Ian Bremmer, a political scientist with 139,000 followers, shared a photo of people congregating in Paris. Other accounts shared similar photos. | |
| Those photos were taken in January, after gunmen attacked the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. | Those photos were taken in January, after gunmen attacked the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. |
| In the case of the darkened Eiffel Tower, it appears that Rurik Bradbury, who operates the satirical Twitter account @ProfJeffJarvis, knowingly shared bad information in order to prove a larger point about the nature of viral images. | In the case of the darkened Eiffel Tower, it appears that Rurik Bradbury, who operates the satirical Twitter account @ProfJeffJarvis, knowingly shared bad information in order to prove a larger point about the nature of viral images. |
| “Millions of people with no connection to Paris or the victims mindlessly throw in their two cents: performative signaling purely for their own selfish benefit, spreading information that is often false and which they have not vetted at all, simply for the sake of making noise,” Mr. Bradbury said in an email to The Washington Post. | “Millions of people with no connection to Paris or the victims mindlessly throw in their two cents: performative signaling purely for their own selfish benefit, spreading information that is often false and which they have not vetted at all, simply for the sake of making noise,” Mr. Bradbury said in an email to The Washington Post. |
| Mr. Bradbury’s tweet, intended to mock users spreading noise on Twitter, was shared more than 29,000 times. While some users tried to correct it, it was unclear whether others realized it was a joke. | Mr. Bradbury’s tweet, intended to mock users spreading noise on Twitter, was shared more than 29,000 times. While some users tried to correct it, it was unclear whether others realized it was a joke. |