Reliability on the Crowded Net: Finding the Truth in a Web of Deceit
Journal Title
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Issue Date
2001
Authors
Magnus, P.D.
Publisher
MacHack: the Conference for Leading Edge Developers
Keywords
expertise
Abstract
On-line, just as off-line, there are ways of assessing the credibility of information
sources. The Internet, although it arguably makes for nothing wholly new in this regard,
complicates the ordinary task of assessing credibility.
In the first section, I consider a specific example and argue that Internet content
providers have no clear interest in resolving these comlications. In the second, I consider
four general ways that we might assess credibility and explore how they apply to life online. Finally, I argue that even careful information gathering may pose subtle pitfalls but that some of these may be mitigated on-line.