Trust and the Internet

Perhaps brings to the table Mr. Reagan’s quote “Trust but Verify” or the rather old saying “numbers never lie but liars use numbers“

From the Atlantic:

How the Professor Who Fooled Wikipedia Got Caught by Reddit

T. Mills Kelly encourages his students to deceive thousands of people on the Web. This has angered many, but the experiment helps reveal the shifting nature of the truth on the Internet.

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Why did the hoaxes succeed in 2008 and not in 2012? If thousands of Internet users can be persuaded that Abraham Lincoln invented Facebook, surely the potential for viral hoaxes remains undiminished.
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