Fact vs Fiction: Fake News and Deepfakes

Not everything you read or see on the internet is true! It’s very important to be able to tell the difference between fact and fiction.

What is “Fake News”?

Fake news is information that is made up to look like a real news story but isn’t true. It might be created to trick people or to make them feel a certain way about a person or an event. This is why it’s a good idea to check different websites to see if they’re all saying the same thing!

Deepfakes: Seeing isn’t Always Believing

A deepfake is a video or an image that has been changed using a computer to make it look like someone is saying or doing something they never actually did! Deepfakes can look very realistic, and it can be hard to tell that they’re not real.

How to be a Digital Detective

When you see something online, ask yourself these questions:

• Who wrote this? Is it from a website you trust?
• Does it seem too good (or too bad) to be true?
• Are other news sites reporting the same thing?
• If it’s a video, does it look a bit “off” or strange?

Did you know?

• A Billion Deepfakes: As computers get more powerful, it’s becoming easier and faster for people to create deepfakes. This is why it’s more important than ever to be careful about what you believe!
• The Power of Rumors: Fake stories can spread much faster than real ones because they’re often more exciting or surprising.
• Fact-Checking: There are special websites whose whole job is to “fact-check” stories and let you know if they’re true or false!

Check Your Knowledge

1. What is “fake news”?
2. What is a “deepfake”?
3. Name three questions you can ask yourself to help you decide if a story is true.
4. Why is it important to check more than one website when you read a news story?
5. True or False: If you see a video of someone saying something, it must be true.