In the early days of the Internet there was a great deal of optimism. In a 2010 survey of technology leaders, 85% agreed that the “social benefits of internet use will far outweigh the negatives over the next decade.” Eleven years later, it has become clear just how naïve those opinions were.
Anonymity
The fatal flaw of the internet is the ease with which one can be anonymous. There are certainly therapeutic and privacy reasons that justify anonymity in certain circumstances. Yet, one’s true character is revealed by what you do when you are certain you will not be caught.
The easy ability to create multiple fake identities online leads many people to poor, even illegal, behavior.
Internet communication lacks the visual and aural cues that allow the reader to confirm the writer’s identity (as in the famous New Yorker cartoon above). These missing cues also allow a writer to disguise his or her sincerity – so it is easier to tell believable lies.
Online deception depends on people’s natural trust in others. In face to face encounters, we tend to believe what people say until given a reason to be suspicious. On the internet, it is wise to be skeptical of anyone, or any information, one is encountering for the first time. One should always seek confirmation (preferably from multiple sources) before granting trust.
The problem is getting worse
The metrics by which we gauge an idea or individual’s worth online are easily manipulable. Likes, retweets, views, followers, comments, and the like can all be bought.
Paris Martineau
Fakery and scams are nothing new to the human race. There have always been charlatans who tell cleverly-packaged lies in order to take your money. All of the age-old scams (such as miracle cures, magical weight loss, dating “secrets,” and astrology) have found a new home on the internet.
Scammers are finding the internet to be easy, fertile, ground on which to expand their operations. To extend their reach, scams and false online information can now easily be artificially amplified by paid “likes,” automated tweets, and phony reviews.
Pretending to be helpful
The players are getting more sophisticated at deception.
Phil Baker
We can be deceived by online sites that pretend to “help” us make decisions. For example, before a purchase you may look for product reviews online. Many web sites claim to analyze and rate products. However, these are often just sites designed to promote one product over others. (One clue is if the site never describes the process they use to evaluate the products they “rate”).
Another scam is to pretend to be a support site for a piece of software. If you just Google for “help” or “support” for a particular program, you have no way of knowing if the site you find is, in fact, the actual maker of the software. Even if the site looks professional and uses the company logo, you cannot be sure. It is much better to use the help information that comes with the software. If the help contains links, it is much more likely to have been put there by the actual software maker.
Phone apps can also be deceptive. Recently, a Utah man lost $384,000 in cryptocurrency. He wanted to be able to trade virtual currencies on his phone so he downloaded an app. It turns out that the cryptocurrency exchange he was using didn’t have a mobile app. The app he installed was fake. He had given a hacker access to his digital wallet.
Power and Gain
The financial structure of the internet actually rewards deception. Online success is measured by how many people click on your link. Honesty and accuracy of information are irrelevant.
Amazon gives kickbacks (they call them referral fees) to people who send them buyers. Facebook sends more viewers to posts that promote outrage. Sites with more viewers earn more advertising revenue.
The driver behind internet deception, of course, is the desire for influence and money – power and gain. When lies and scams are perpetrated anonymously, they are a part of what the scriptures call “the secret works of darkness.”
We have been warned. Prepare accordingly and don’t fall into the traps.
Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye earnestly the best gifts, …
Doctrine and Covenants 46:8
Sources
Paris Martineau, “Internet Deception Is Here to Stay—So What Do We Do Now?,” Wired, December 30, 2019.
Paris Martineau, “The Existential Crisis Plaguing Online Extremism Researchers,” Wired, May 2, 2019.
Paris Martineau, “Inside the Weird, and Booming, Industry of Online Influence,” Wired, April 22, 2019.
Phil Baker, “Deception on the internet is nothing new, but you’re right, it is getting worse,” Vox, October 9, 2017.
Alice Marwick & Rebecca Lewis, “Media Manipulation and Disinformation Online,” Data and Society, May 15, 2017.
Neil C. Rowe, “Types of Online Deception, ” U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, 2005.
Michael Locklear, “Utah man loses $384,000 in cryptocurrency scam,” KUTV, April 14, 2021.