System to detect, assess and counter disinformation
A computer-readable medium for the identification, measurement, and combatting of the influence of large-scale creation and distribution of disinformation is herein disclosed. An embodiment of this invention is comprised of one or more repositories of data which involve online comments and articles and attributes derived from them, one or more technical targeting systems, a content analysis system, a cost and influence estimation system, a dialog system, a performance management system, a bot design and test system, a security system, a multimedia content generator, one or more machine learning components, a data collection mechanism, separate consumer and human operator applications, and a mechanism for the creation and management of bots across multiple channels.
1 . A system for bots to execute Turing tests, comprising:
a memory configured to manage a knowledgebase; and
one or more processors, configured to:
provide a bot that challenges other identities on one or more social media platforms with a Turing Test-style protocol configured to publicly expose other bots and trolls as inauthentic with respect to a demographic asserted by the other bots and trolls on the one or more social media platforms through engagement with the other identities from use of the one or more social media platforms, comprising:
a bot definition, instantiation and management mechanism configured to instantiate the bot across the one or more social media platforms;
a dialog system configured to provide chat functionality for the bot; and
a multimedia object renderer configured to render multimedia;
wherein the Turning Test-style protocol comprises:
identifying target identities that assert or imply specific demographic characteristics or expertise;
generating demographic-specific challenge questions tailored to the asserted or implied demographic characteristics or expertise; and
publicly posting the challenge questions as direct responses to posts made by the target identities.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the bot is configured to actively initiate challenges by posting challenge questions directly to the other identities on the one or more social media platforms.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the challenge questions are designed to test knowledge specific to the demographic asserted by the other identities, wherein correct answers to the challenge questions would be readily known to authentic users of the asserted demographic but difficult for inauthentic bots or trolls to answer correctly.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the bot is configured to publicly post evidence of inappropriate challenge responses to expose the other identities as inauthentic to other users viewing the social media platforms.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the bot is configured to engage in real-time interactive dialog with the other identities, wherein the bot waits for responses to challenge questions and generates follow-up challenges based on the quality of received responses.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the multimedia object renderer is configured to generate visual content that publicly displays evidence of demographic inauthenticity, including infographics showing patterns of inauthentic behavior by the challenged identities.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the demographic asserted by the other bots and trolls include a false demographic characteristic comprising at least one of: claimed nationality, claimed geographic location, claimed native language, claimed cultural background, or claimed professional expertise.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the demographic asserted by the other bots and trolls include a false demographic characteristic comprising claimed professional or domain expertise that is inconsistent with vocabulary and terminology usage patterns expected for the claimed profession.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the demographic asserted by the other bots and trolls include a false demographic characteristic comprising expressed attitudes or viewpoints that are inconsistent with the purported demographics of the identity or are mutually contradictory.
10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the Turing Test-style protocol includes challenge questions that would be easy for a human of the asserted demographic to respond to, but which are likely to lie outside the knowledge space of a bot or a troll who lacks the necessary language, cultural, educational or professional background.
11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the bot is configured to publicly challenge the authenticity of the adversary user identities while heaping ridicule on them in the process, at a most auspicious moment when the greatest number of influenceable users are likely to witness the ridicule.
12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to out a bot as a bot rather than a human, or a human troll pretending to be of a demographic that they are not, or paid trolls pretending to be just the average guy on the street.
13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the Turing Test-style protocol configured to publicly expose other bots and trolls as inauthentic is with respect to behavioral patterns inconsistent with the demographic asserted by the other bots and trolls.
14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the behavioral patterns include temporal activity patterns that are inconsistent with the asserted demographic, including posting schedules that do not align with expected time zones or cultural activity patterns for the claimed geographic location.
15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the behavioral patterns include linguistic usage patterns that are inconsistent with the asserted demographic, including dialect variations, colloquialisms, or grammatical structures that do not match the claimed native language or regional background.
16 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the behavioral patterns include cultural reference patterns that are inconsistent with the asserted demographic, including unfamiliarity with local customs, holidays, current events, or cultural touchstones expected for the claimed background.
17 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the behavioral patterns include social interaction patterns that are inconsistent with the asserted demographic, including communication styles, formality levels, or social conventions that do not match the claimed cultural or professional background.
18 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the behavioral patterns include contextual response patterns that are inconsistent with the asserted demographic, including responses to situational prompts that would be natural for someone of the claimed background but are outside the knowledge or experience base of the identity.
19 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the Turing Test-style protocol includes behavioral challenge questions that test for authentic demographic-specific behaviors rather than factual knowledge, including questions about personal experiences, cultural practices, or situational responses typical for the asserted demographic.