Why Canadians need to take digital disinformation seriously

By flooding social media platforms with false information, it makes it harder to know what to believe, particularly for users with lower digital literacy skills, and it can have negative effects on people’s faith in their government and democratic systems.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam has repeatedly warned Canadians to turn to trusted sources regarding information on COVID-19. The pandemic has demonstrated the true cost of disinformation as we watch loved ones fall victim to health-related hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and influence operations meant to destroy our trust in democratic systemsThe Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY KYLE MATTHEWS AND LAUREN SALIM

March 29, 2021

On March 20, rallies to protest COVID-19 restrictions were organized worldwide. Several of these so-called “freedom rallies” took place in Canada, including in

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