How Facebook and Google fund global misinformation

This scientist now believes covid started in Wuhan's wet market. Here's why.

In partnership with Infosys Cobalt The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Fuel on the fire 11.22.21 Good morning! Charlotte here, back and fully refreshed from my week away! Today: we lift the lid on how Facebook and Google are funneling millions of dollars to accounts spreading misinformation around the world. Also: there's growing evidence that covid started in Wuhan's wet market. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. How Facebook and Google fund global misinformation   The revelations from the Facebook Papers, a collection of internal documents provided to Congress and a consortium of news organizations by whistleblower Frances Haugen, have reaffirmed what civil society groups have been saying for years: Facebook’s algorithmic amplification of inflammatory content, combined with its failure to prioritize content moderation outside the US and Europe, has fueled the spread of hate speech and misinformation, dangerously destabilizing countries around the world. But there’s a crucial piece missing from the story. Facebook isn’t just amplifying misinformation.  The company is also funding it. An MIT Technology Review investigation, based on expert interviews, data analyses, and documents that were not included in the Facebook Papers, has found that Facebook and Google are paying millions of ad dollars to bankroll clickbait actors, fueling the deterioration of information ecosystems around the world.  Many of these actors would not even exist without these payments from both platforms, and the way they’re poisoning public discourse is increasingly threatening the stability of societies around the world. Read the full story.  —Karen Hao This scientist now believes covid started in Wuhan’s wet market. Here’s why. Michael Worobey hasn’t always been certain about where covid originated. During the pandemic, the University of Arizona professor was among a group of 18 influential scientists who signed a letter in May calling for further investigation to help prove or disprove the theory that SARS-CoV-2 emerged through a possible lab accident. Now he’s published a new study in Science that suggests that the earliest diagnosed covid case was incorrectly understood—and that Wuhan’s Huanan wet market was almost certainly the site of a spillover of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from animals to humans, rather than a lab leak. His intervention, and growing confidence in the natural spillover idea, is likely to re-ignite the debate around the hunt for the origins of covid. Drawing on myriad sources, he found that many of the first diagnosed cases of covid were either people who worked at the market or lived nearby. The findings have convinced him that the market was the site of a spillover from animals.  Here’s how he did it. —Jane Qiu How we covered the evolution of computing MIT Technology Review has covered the development of the computer right from the start. To flip through our archives is to watch it unfold in real-time. In the latest computing-themed issue of our magazine, we pull out three stories from our back catalog: one from 1969 about computers that helped get Apollo 8 to the moon, another from 1986 on the multiprocessor systems that helped speed up machines, and an article from 1999 about people trying to become cyborgs. Check them out! And if you want to read the full magazine, subscribe.  —The Editors We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + This motocross stunt sent my stomach straight up into my mouth.    + A fear most toddlers can surely relate to 😂     + Bouncy floofs.   + A fun tool that lets you become master of your own choir. Thanks Robert!   + This accidental Phil Collins intro makes me laugh every time.    + RIP legendary photographer Mick Rock. Here are some of his most iconic pictures.   + Glaze your vegetables (no really).   + A foxy banjo fan.   + The best cheese in the world is, apparently, a soft goat's cheese from Spain called Quesos y Besos (Cheeses and Kisses.) Registration is open for EmTech Digital MIT Technology Review's signature AI conference decision makers and leaders put AI to work for business. For a limited time, save 25% on your VIP hybrid or Online ticket. Register now. Sponsor Message The cloud hub: From cloud chaos to clarity As cloud adoption accelerates and begins to touch all aspects of business, companies need to augment their core digital capabilities, advance their operating models, and transform their talent for the future. Explore the latest content The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 How covid drugs could change the future of the pandemic 💊 These could be especially helpful in the countries that still lack access to vaccines. (New Yorker $)   + Early data on the pills has been promising, but we need to see more. (Wired $)   + Get your booster shot. (Slate $)   + How one family was torn apart by differing views on the vaccines. (WP $)   + Which vaccine is most effective against the delta variant? (The Economist $)   + The WHO is “very worried” about the spike in covid cases across Europe. (BBC)   + Unrest is sweeping Europe in response to new covid restrictions. (BBC)   + An oxygen device that works less well on dark skin could help explain why covid hit people of color so hard. (The Sunday Times $)  2 Supply chain problems are starting to recede  It’s a fragile recovery though. (WSJ $)   3 What it’s like down Facebook’s centrist rabbit hole  There’s not much extremism—but there’s so much utter trash. (The Atlantic $)   4 Inside the global power struggle over cobalt It powers our electric cars, and more than two-thirds of it comes from conflict-riven Congo. (NYT $)    + The US essentially ceded control to China. (NYT $)   + Norway is running out of gas-guzzling cars to tax. (Wired $)  5 Amazon won’t let go of your data without a fight Its lobbying efforts have helped to gut privacy-protecting legislation in two dozen states. (Reuters)   6 Climate conspiracy theories are flourishing on Wikipedia Especially in countries with fewer volunteer editors. (BBC)   7 Apple says its staff are allowed to discuss their wages It’s a significant shift for a notoriously secretive company. (NBC)   + Americans are realizing there’s more to life than just work. (Gizmodo)   8 Body language pseudoscience is all over YouTube You definitely cannot tell if someone is lying just from watching a clip of them. (Wired $)   9 Tesla drivers were locked out of their cars on Friday Technology is great... until you fully rely on it and it stops working. (BBC)   10 What can neurons and snowflakes teach us about AI? ❄️ No two are the same, and that could be the key to designing AIs that can adapt to change. (NEO.LIFE) Quote of the day “It’s like hunting aliens. We know nothing about them. We can’t seem to kill them easily. They show up unexpectedly. And their numbers have just exploded.” —Jason Bullard, a North Carolina resident, tells The Guardian how his town has become overrun with armadillos, which are moving further up north due to climate change. Top image credit: Getty Please send Quesos y Besos cheese to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Advancing the promise of technology Make MIT Technology Review your go-to resource for thought-provoking insights, analysis, and news about the world of technology. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. Subscribe now Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This message was sent to  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally    Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142