Cognitive biases or when the brain plays with us

You may have seen the satirical film cosmic denial (Don’t look up, in English), which tells the story of a huge comet that will hit the Earth. Scientists sounded the alarm, but resisted widespread indifference. This is a metaphor for the danger of global warming that awaits us. This film also exposes cognitive biases that cause us to be vulnerable to misinformation.

War in Ukraine : tips to avoid falling prey to misinformation

In the context of the conflict in Ukraine, which is happening live on our screens, all kinds of information are circulating: credible, verified news, but also disinformation, misinformation and propaganda, transmitted in particular on social media. How to see clearly?

Disinformation : comb the elements of an image

You come across a story that is a bit crazy, unbelievable or too beautiful to be true. You have doubts about the source of the accompanying photo. Has it been doctored or taken out of context? Here are some tips for verifying its authenticity.

Is there someone behind the keyboard? (Bots and you)

As you may have guessed, the users you meet on Twitter, Facebook or TikTok are not always real people. Sometimes these are automated accounts, called bots. Here’s how to spot them.

Tips and advice for safe online browsing

The two -year pandemic increases the amount of time Canadians spend on the Internet, whether on a computer or on a phone. At the same time, hackers and fraudsters are coming up with more sophisticated ways to steal data, access our devices or scam us. But basic tricks can reduce our vulnerability to these attacks.

Cookies, browsing cookies that follow us

Navigation cookies, or Cookies, in English, are small files that sites place in your browser and follow you wherever you go online… makes so-called targeted advertising possible. More and more, they are sources of privacy concerns.

The origin of the word troll in line

Did you know? The term trolla word now familiar to everyone, began to appear in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the very first chat rooms.

Information laundering, amid the spread of fake news

In today’s media world, it is often difficult to track the source of a news story. It happens that individuals or the media voluntarily conceal the source of the information, sometimes with the intent to deceive. It is better to beware of information laundering. The fake story about laboratories in Ukraine used in the manufacture of biological weapons is a good example of this scheme.