How Global Disinformation Index helps defund polarizing online content | Clare Melford

Summary

Clare Melford, co-founder and CEO of GDI, discusses the negative impact of the internet on society, including division and misinformation. GDI uses machine learning and human review to assess the risk of harmful online content, providing advertisers with data to choose where to place ads. This has led to millions of dollars shifting from harmful sites to quality journalism, demonstrating advertisers' preference for quality content.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The internet initially promised to connect and empower, but in recent years, it has contributed to division, polarization, and disinformation.
• 👩‍💼 Clare Melford is the co-founder and CEO of GDI (Global Disinformation Index), a non-profit founded in 2018 to combat the business model of harmful online content.
• 🧠 GDI uses machine learning and human review to assess the risk levels of online news sites, helping advertisers decide whether to support divisive content.
• 📈 The tech industry relies on an advertising-based model, where algorithms promote content that maximizes engagement to show more ads.
• 😡 Human emotions like fear, anger, and hate drive engagement, leading algorithms to prioritize content that triggers these negative feelings.
• 🤖 GDI’s machine learning system evaluates adversarial content, focusing on hostility in text that sets readers against subjects such as marginalized groups, science, or democracy.
• 🌍 Examples of harmful content include hate speech, COVID-19 conspiracies, climate change denial, and attacks on democratic systems.
• 💰 By giving advertisers the choice, GDI has helped divert hundreds of millions of dollars away from harmful content toward quality journalism.
• 🔍 Advertisers increasingly demand transparency and higher standards from tech platforms, moving their budgets away from harmful sites.
• 📰 When given the proper data, advertisers prefer to support quality content, demonstrating a desire for ethical ad placement.

Q & A

What is the main issue the internet has created in the last decade according to Clare Melford?

The internet has divided, polarized, and disinformed us, contrary to its initial promise of connecting and empowering citizens.

What is GDI and what is its purpose?

GDI is a non-profit co-founded by Clare Melford and Dr. Danny Rogers in 2018, aimed at breaking the business model of harmful online content.

How does GDI assess online news sites?

GDI uses a combination of machine learning and human review to assess the risk level of online news sites.

Who does GDI provide their risk assessments to?

GDI provides risk assessments to advertisers and technology companies.

What is the primary business model of tech companies according to the transcript?

The primary business model of tech companies is advertising-based, which focuses on user engagement to maximize advertising revenue.

How do the algorithms of tech companies influence the content we see?

Tech company algorithms promote content that triggers negative emotions to keep users engaged longer, as it is more profitable.

What does the machine learning system built by GDI assess?

The machine learning system assesses adversarial and hostile content in text, particularly targeting at-risk groups, science skepticism, and undermining democracy.

What are the three categories of adversarial content identified by GDI?

The three categories are content adversarial against at-risk groups, content setting reader against scientific subjects, and content undermining trust in democratic institutions.

How has GDI's work impacted the flow of advertising revenue?

GDI's work has contributed to the redirection of hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising revenue away from harmful sites towards quality journalism.

What role does the advertising sector play in demanding higher standards from tech companies?

The advertising sector plays a significant role by demanding higher standards and transparency from tech companies, influencing where ads are placed.

What does the shift in advertising revenue indicate about advertisers' preferences?

The shift indicates that advertisers prefer to place their ads next to quality content when given the data to make informed choices.