Hany Farid

We don't know what is real, what is fake.

But we don't have to be hostages.

We don't have to succumb to the worst human instincts that pollute our online communities.

We have agency, and we can effect change.

Now, I can't turn you all into digital forensics experts in 10 minutes.

But I can leave you with a few thoughts.

One, take comfort in knowing that the tools that I've described and that my team and I are developing are being made available to journalists, to institutions.

to the court to help them tell what's real and fake, which in turn helps you.

Two, there is an international standard for so-called content credentials that can authenticate content at the point of creation.

As these credentials start to roll out, they will help you, the consumer, figure out what is real and what is fake online.

And while they won't solve all of our problems, they will absolutely be part of a larger solution.

Three, please understand that social media is not a place to get news and information.

It is a place that Silicon Valley created to steal your time, your attention by delivering you the equivalent of junk food.

Thank you.

And like any bad habit, you should quit.

And if you can't quit, at least do not let this be your primary source of information, because it is simply too riddled with lies and conspiracies and now AI slop to be even close to being reliable.

Four.

Understand that when you share false or misleading information, intentionally or not, you're all part of the problem.

Don't be part of the problem.

There are serious, smart, hardworking journalists and fact-checkers out there who work every day, because I talk to them every day, to sort out the lies from the truths.