Bots, bias, and bunk: How can you tell what’s real on the net?

Steven

Bots, bias, and bunk: How can you tell what’s real on the net?

Summary

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols argues that in an era of bots, deepfakes and politicised AI, nothing online should be trusted by default. He offers practical verification habits: apply scepticism, check sources and dates, cross-reference reputable outlets and fact-checkers, inspect visual cues and use reverse image search. He also warns that automated AI-detectors are unreliable and that institutional sources can be compromised or biased.

Key Points

  • Assume bias exists — recognise your own and the bias in any source.
  • Do a gut check: if it sounds too extreme or too good, treat it as a hypothesis to test.
  • Verify: look for reputable reporting, named sources, primary documents and consistent details (dates, locations, links).
  • Use fact-check sites (PolitiFact, Snopes, AP Fact Check) and search for primary sources like government, court or academic papers.
  • Inspect images and video with reverse image search and look for visual artefacts, inconsistent lighting, blurred text or odd micro-movements in deepfake videos.
  • Tools that supposedly detect AI content are imperfect and can give false results; be cautious with their findings.
  • Be aware that even government or official sites can be politically distorted; don’t treat any single source as infallible.

Why should I read this?

Look — this cuts through the noise. If you share things online and want to avoid being duped (or becoming the duper), these are the simple, repeatable checks that actually help. Read it, pick a couple of habits, and stop forwarding obvious rubbish.

Context and relevance

The piece is timely: AI-generated content, bot-driven propaganda and deepfakes are increasingly shaping public discourse. For security professionals, journalists, and everyday users, the techniques described are practical defences against misinformation and social-engineering campaigns. The article ties into wider debates about AI governance, platform moderation and the erosion of trust in institutions.

Author style

Punchy and pragmatic — Vaughan-Nichols mixes sceptical commentary with hands-on advice. If you’re concerned about misinformation, this isn’t just commentary: it’s a checklist you can use right away.

Source

Source: https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/12/05/bots_bias_bunk/