January 19, 2022

Online scientific misinformation

A new Royal Society report explores how the internet is transforming the way we share and consume information and the consequences for our attitudes and understanding of major scientific issues, from climate change to vaccination.

While trustworthy sources have become more accessible, the rapid proliferation of inaccurate, misleading or deliberately false ‘misinformation’ is causing real-world harm. The expert-led report makes recommendations for policymakers, science institutions, and online platforms to build resilience to harmful misinformation and addresses growing calls to crack down on false content and its sources.

At this briefing, three members of the report’s working group addressed questions, including:

• How susceptible are the public to online scientific misinformation?
• What harm can scientific misinformation cause?
• Should we ban and censor online scientific misinformation?
• What role do politicians, technology companies, scientists and the media have to play in stopping the spread of misinformation?

Speakers included:

Prof Frank Kelly CBE FRS, Emeritus Professor of the Mathematics of Systems, University of Cambridge

Prof Sir Nigel Shadbolt FRS FREng, Executive Chair, Open Data Institute