Ressa highlights dangers of misinformation at global summit for women leaders

Maria Ressa, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has expressed concerns over the role of major tech companies in the spread of misinformation on social media. She argues that these platforms, contrary to their claims of promoting free expression, have been designed to facilitate a “subversive algorithm of surveillance capitalism,” which manipulates and misleads the public.

The journalist from the Philippines is in attendance at a global summit for women leaders and has highlighted alarming statistics that reveal U.S. voters are misinformed about various critical issues, such as a reduction in immigration flows and a decrease in inflation. Ressa emphasizes the responsibility of tech giants like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook in addressing these discrepancies.

She pointed to a 2018 MIT study revealing that false information spreads six times faster on social media than the truth, leading to a culture where users are inadvertently rewarded for sharing falsehoods. Ressa asserts that when emotions like fear, anger, and hatred are intertwined with misinformation, it results in even greater reach and influence.

Her experiences in the Philippines illustrate this trend, where, for the past eight years, she has faced relentless online attacks, receiving 90 hate messages per hour. Ressa recalls significant legal challenges stemming from the misuse of laws aimed at stifling her reporting, particularly targeting her news outlet, Rappler, which faced a 49% drop in advertising revenue shortly after legal troubles began.

This ongoing struggle highlights the broader implications of misinformation and its threats to journalism and democracy worldwide, as authoritarian tactics continue to undermine freedom of expression.