At RNAO we are increasingly concerned about the societal harms arising from social media. The following article from the Center for Humane Technology explores how social media companies purposefully exploit biological vulnerabilities in the human brain.

This is a 15 February article by Jennifer Wolowic, who co-leads the Strengthening Canadian Democracy Initiative at the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University. Kelly Grounds co-authored this article. She has worked as a junior policy analyst in cybersecurity and as a research assistant on disinformation projects. This article is republished from The Conversation. To turn back the tides of radicalization and hate, Canada needs investments in our democratic culture, improvements in policing and support for grassroots efforts. We can look to international and local examples for practical solutions.

The so-called “freedom convoy” has captured worldwide attention. The one-word rallying cry — freedom — is their activist mantra. But what might “freedom” mean to other Canadians? This is an article by Gerald Walton, Professor in Education of Gender, Sexuality and Identity, Lakehead University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

How did this ‘grassroots’ rebellion paralyse the Canadian capital? With funding from the far right and a boost from Facebook misinformation. The following is an article by Arwa Mahdawi published in UK’s The Guardian on Feb. 8.

RNAO condemns the racist and extremist behaviour that unfolded in Ottawa led by far-right groups this weekend. Our association deeply believes in people’s rights to demonstrate peacefully and to express themselves in a democratic society. However, what we are witnessing is an event that started as a convoy of truckers but was hijacked by far-right groups using disinformation and preying on fears around a pandemic.

Facebook and other social media platforms spread massive misinformation and bear huge responsibility for the urgent threat to public health raised by the U.S. Surgeon General. This is a July 29 article by Anjana Susarla, Omura-Saxena Professor of Responsible AI at Michigan State University.

Misinformation is an urgent public health threat – and also a threat to democracy and values of social justice. In July, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued the first Surgeon General's Advisory of this Administration to warn the American public about the urgent threat of health misinformation.

The majority of those not yet vaccinated are hesitant for a diversity of legitimate reasons. A small but influential minority of the unvaccinated are anti-vaxxers driven by ideology who produce and disseminate disinformation intended to obfuscate, confuse and create hesitation. They also lead the angry and dangerous mob actions against hospitals and schools that require the enactment of safe zones. The following is a July 15 article from Paula Larsson addressing the racist roots of the anti-vaxx movement.

This is a September 21 article by Josh Roose, a senior research fellow at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. It focuses on how far right nationalists, anti-vaxxers, libertarians and conspiracy theorists have come together over COVID, and capitalised on the anger and uncertainty simmering in some sections of the community.

This is a September 19 article by Sibo Chen, an assistant professor at the School of Professional Communication, Ryerson University. It focuses on the worrisome convergence of the anti-vaccine movement and far-right political extremism.