I am honored once again to teach a computer class at the Norman Public Library. For one evening only, September 15 at 6:30 pm, we will dive headfirst into the dark underworld of computer and Internet security. It’s always a fun journey. The goal of the class is to equip normal, everyday computer users with the knowledge they need to defend themselves against the Internet bad guys. Call the library at (405)701-2620 for more information.
One important thing I endeavor to teach is the ability to separate Internet fact from fiction. The Internet is the world’s largest encyclopedia, containing a wealth of good information on just about any subject you can imagine. The Internet is also the world’s largest source of misrepresentations, half-truths, hoaxes and outright lies.
Internet falsehoods often appear as totally legitimate, believable ideas. They may look “official” and, indeed, may come from otherwise trustworthy sources, yet be completely bogus. Blindly trusting Internet “facts” is like blindly trusting the evening news on television. Some people seem to believe that if it comes from Katy Couric’s mouth, then, by golly, it simply must be true, but we all know where that sort of blind faith can lead. Likewise, some people seem to think that if Uncle Joe-Bob forwarded it to them in an email, or they saw it on some fancy-looking website, then it must be true. Au contraire, mon frère.
“OK, Mr. French-quoting smarty-pants geek,” you may be thinking, “how are regular computer users like myself supposed to be able to separate Internet fact from fiction?” Fortunately, there are some easy-to-use Internet resources that can help you in your quest.
My primary fact-finding tool is Google, which can be considered the index to the world’s largest encyclopedia. Don’t even get me started on how great alternative search websites like Bing are (not). I don’t have time to waste; Google is the best and that’s where I go.
Next in the tool bag are hoax-fighting websites like Hoax-slayer.com, Snopes.com, Hoaxbusters.org and Truthorfiction.com. These websites maintain archives of known Internet hoaxes and are constantly on the lookout for new Internet scams. Each website has its advantages and disadvantages. Snopes, the heavyweight of hoax-fighting websites, has a huge database, but has become overly commercialized and sends all sorts of tracking cookies and annoying “pop-under” ads to your computer. Hoaxbusters’ website looks a bit amateurish, but has an awesomely entertaining “Big List of Internet Hoaxes,” which is great reading.
Using this bag of fact-finding tools is easy. Take, for example, an email recently received from a well-intentioned customer seeking to alert me to something important. I get this sort of email all the time. The subject line of the email read, “E-Mail Tracker Programs — Very interesting and a must read!!” The message promised “important information” from “a computer tech” who “spends a lot of time clearing the junk off computers for people and listens to complaints about speed.”
The “computer tech” goes on to boldly say that he is relaying important information from no less than Snopes itself. He then says that Snopes has been warning people against “email tracker programs” and wraps up his sage advice with a quote from CBS 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney. The alleged quote rants on about how you should used postage-paid envelopes to return junk mail to the original senders. The “computer tech” also threw in a reference to truthorfiction.com, making his message seem even more urgent and legitimate.
Oh, boy. This email had the stink of “fake” all over it, but, being the dutiful researcher that I am, I decided to spend a minute or two checking it out. Maybe the bad guys had developed some sort of futuristic email “tracking” program, after all. I copied part of the email subject (“E-Mail Tracker Programs”) into a Google search box and clicked the search button.
In less than a second, I had my answer. Fake. Fraud. Scam. Apparently, this exact email had been circulating around the Internet for a few years, duping ignorant Internet users into forwarding its phony advice to everyone in their contacts list. My Google Search results even had links to the various scam-fighting websites like Snopes. Using the “search” functions of the sites confirmed my Google results. Email Tracker Myth: busted.
After copying and pasting the first two sentences of the alleged Andy Rooney quotes into the various search boxes, I quickly learned that this part of the “important information” email was also a hoax. Andy Rooney never said the things that were attributed to him. Andy Rooney Junk Mail Quotes Myth: busted.
There you have it: all the best ways to separate Internet fact from fiction. Please use them before forwarding any “important” messages. You’ll have fun learning what’s what and you’ll save everyone else a lot of time.