Waves crash over a seawall at the mouth of the Miami River from Biscayne Bay, Fla., as storm surge from Hurricane Irma impacts Miami on Sept 10, 2017.— AP
WASHINGTON: Major social media platforms are enabling and profiting from misinformation around extreme weather events, endangering lives and impeding emergency response efforts, a research group said July 22.
The report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) – which analysed 100 viral posts on each of three leading platforms during recent natural disasters including deadly Texas floods – highlights how their algorithms amplify conspiracy theorists while sidelining life-saving information.
