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Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet » (1st Edition)

Book cover image of Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet by Anne P. Mintz

Authors: Anne P. Mintz, Steve Forbes, Steve Forbes
ISBN-13: 9780910965606, ISBN-10: 0910965609
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Information Today, Inc.
Date Published: September 2002
Edition: 1st Edition

Author Biography: Anne P. Mintz

Book Synopsis

As the Internet has become flooded with untrustworthy information, some of which is intentionally misleading or erroneous, this book teaches Web surfers how inaccurate data can affect their health, privacy, investments, business decisions, online purchases, and legal affairs. Bringing together the world's leading information-age observers, analysts, writers, and practitioners, this analysis reveals the Web as fertile ground for deception and misinformation. These experts provide hard-won advice on how to recognize misinformation in its myriad forms and disguises. Included are an array of tips on how to evaluate Web sites for quality and bias, checklists for navigating the Internet more effectively, and advice for those who have been duped.

Author Biography: Anne P. Mintz has taught online database searching at the Columbia University Graduate School of Library Service. She is currently the director of knowledge management at Forbes, Inc. She lives in New York City.

Inc. Magazine

The book reads like a herpetologist's tour through a pit of electronic vipers.

	Foreword	xiii
	Acknowledgments	xv
	Introduction: Lies, Damned Lies and the Internet	xvii
Chapter 1	Web Hoaxes, Counterfeit Sites, and Other Spurious Information on the Internet	1
	A Rough Taxonomy	1
	Counterfeit Web Sites	2
	Suspicious Web Sites	6
	News	7
	Disinformation	8
	September 11, 2001	9
	Subject-Specific Misinformation	11
	Science and Health Information	11
	Business	12
	Fictitious Sites	13
	Parodies and Spoofs	14
	Entertainment	17
	News Groups--LISTSERV and UseNet	17
	Hacks	18
	One Person Gathers What Another Person Spills	18
	Where to Go for Help	20
	Countermeasures	22
Chapter 2	Charlatans, Leeches, and Old Wives: Medical Misinformation	23
	Please--Don't Help!	25
	Who Says and Why?	25
	Ouch!	28
	For One Thin Dime, One-Tenth of a Dollar	31
	Doctor? Who Needs a Doctor?	34
	Speaking Out of Both Sides of the Mouth	36
	You'll Need a Prescription for That	37
	One Last Villager	38
	When Does Breaking Health News Become Permanent Information?	39
	Avoiding the Charlatans	41
	Checklist for Ordering Medicines Online (Carol Ebbinghouse)	46
	References	48
Chapter 3	It's a Dangerous World Out There: Misinformation in the Corporate Universe	51
	A Long History of Deception	53
	The Wicked Web They Weave	54
	Battling Elusive Rumors: Meet John Doe; Sue John Doe	55
	Sometimes It Is the Technology	57
	Pump and Dump--the Internet Way	58
	And Sometimes It Is the Company	60
	Other Tricks of the Trade	61
	Web Sleight of Hand	63
	General Net Confusion	63
	No Escape from a Dirty Web of Deception	65
	Will the Real Price Please Stand Up?	65
	The Dangers When Business Becomes Personal	65
	Rewriting Boundaries Electronically	66
	Keeping Up with Mouse Capers	67
	Prime Pickings for Bonnie and Clyde	70
	Where to Go for Help	71
	Countermeasures	73
Chapter 4	Internet Users at Risk: The Identity/Privacy Target Zone	75
	Monitoring Action	77
	Data Mining	78
	The Lingo of Security	78
	More Silence, Please	81
	"Virtual" Criminals	82
	U.S. Military's Use of Social Security Numbers	83
	Old and New Crime Blend	83
	People: The Weak Link in Security	84
	Ignorance Equates to Vulnerability	85
	Mathematics and Privacy Empower Data Mining	89
	Legislation or Technology?	93
	References	95
Chapter 5	Brother Have You Got a Dime? Charity Scams on the Web	97
	The Watchdogs	100
	Businesses Give, Too	103
	Using the Web to Avoid Charity Scams	105
	When to Suspect a Scam	108
	How to Report a Possible Charity Scam	109
	References	111
Chapter 6	Welcome to the Dark Side: How E-Commerce, Online Consumer, and E-Mail Fraud Rely on Misdirection and Misinformation	113
	The Nigerian Letter: E-Mail Brings a Deadly Worldwide Scam into Your Home	114
	Web-Based Fraud: You Can Even Get It Retail	116
	Who's in Charge?	119
	Whose Laws Apply?	122
	What Can the Feds Do?	123
	What Can--or Can't--the States Do?	124
	Around the World Wide Web with Credit Card ... and Caution	125
	What to Watch Out For	129
	Going, Going, Gone for Good	130
	The Dirty Dozen	132
	Other FTC Activities	137
	Countermeasures	139
	Checklist for Consumer-Friendly Web Sites	143
	Where to Go for Help	146
	References	148
Chapter 7	Make Sure You Read the Fine Print: Legal Advice on the Internet	149
	How to Locate Legal Information on Your Own	154
	How to Evaluate Professional Advice Sites on the Internet	157
	How to Evaluate Web-Based Directories of Professionals	160
	Recommended Reading	162
	Lawyers Meet the Net	162
	Legal Advice Sites	162
	Privacy Concerns	163
	Evaluating Legal Web Site Quality	163
Chapter 8	How to Evaluate a Web Site	165
	Factors to Consider	165
	Looks Can Be Deceiving	169
	Sources of Web Reviews	170
	Sites to Help You with Evaluation	170
	The Critical Factor	171
	You Decide	173
Chapter 9	This Is What I Asked For? The Searching Quagmire	175
	Deceptive Advertising Practices	175
	The Danger of Hidden Assumptions	177
	What's Going On Behind the Curtain?	178
	Outside Influences: Pernicious and Otherwise	179
	Misconceptions That Lead Us Astray	180
	Search Engine Assumptions About Searchers	186
	What Are We to Do?	190
	Recipes and Recommendations for Better Searching	191
	Is It Bias or Selection?	192
	A Quick Guide to How Search Engines Rank Pages	194
	Games Webmasters Play	195
Chapter 10	How a Search Engine Works	197
	Document Processor	198
	Query Processor	201
	Search and Matching Functions	204
	What Document Features Make a Good Match to a Query	205
	Summary	207
Chapter 11	Getting Mad, Getting Even, Getting Money: Remedies for Intentional Misinformation	209
	Getting Mad: Where and How to Complain	209
	The First Place to Complain	209
	Alternative Dispute Resolution	210
	Complaining to the Agencies	212
	Getting Even: The Revenge Web Site	214
	Getting Money: The Court Is Now in Session	215
	Evaluating Your Chances for Success	218
	Where to File Suit	218
	Intentional Misinformation: Fraud Actions	221
	Countering a Cybersmear of Your Company	222
	Government Agencies and Nongovernmental Organizations	225
	General Sites	225
	Government Agencies (Many with Online Complaint Forms)	225
	Industry and Self-Regulation Agencies	226
	References	228
	Endnote: What a Tangled Web We Weave	229
	Webliography	235
	Contributors	247
	Index	253

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