Disinformation can be especially prevalent on social media sites Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
The US National Science Foundation (NSF) has terminated government research grants for studying misinformation and disinformation. The defunding comes at a time when propaganda and scams fuelled by the latest artificial intelligence technologies are flooding social media networks, and tech companies are abandoning content moderation efforts and eliminating fact-checking teams.
The grant cancellations began on 18 April when the NSF saying it would not support research on misinformation or disinformation “that could be used to infringe on the constitutionally protected speech rights…
