Disinfo Docket 20 August

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Highlights

1. Why conspiracy theorists are targeting walkable cities (ABC, 18 August)
2. Texas attorney general accuses Meta, Character.AI of misleading kids with mental health claims (Tech Crunch, 18 August)
3. False Flags, Fake Flags: Propaganda Muddles the Trump-Putin Meeting (NYT, 15 August)
4. AI-generated misinformation can create confusion and hinder responses during emergencies (The Conversation, 19 August)

1. Academia & Research

1. Psychological inoculation improves resilience to and reduces willingness to share vaccine misinformation (Nature, 18 August)

2. Platforms & Technology

1. Andrew Tate sues Meta and TikTok for ‘deplatforming’ (The Hill, 19 August)
2. White House launches TikTok account with Trump saying 'I am your voice' (Reuters, 20 August)

AI

1. Trump Wants to Let A.I. Run Wild. This Might Stop Him. (NYT, 18 August)
2. Chatbot given power to close ‘distressing’ chats to protect its ‘welfare’ (Guardian, 18 August)
3. ‘Crazy conspiracist’ and ‘unhinged comedian’: Grok’s AI persona prompts exposed (TechCrunch, 18 August)
   1. Grok Exposes Underlying Prompts for Its AI Personas: ‘EVEN PUTTING THINGS IN YOUR ASS’ (404, 18 August)
4. What my daughter told ChatGPT before she took her life (NYT, 18 August)
5. Mark Zuckerberg Shakes Up Meta’s A.I. Efforts, Again (NYT, 19 August)
6. Meta rolls out AI-powered translations to creators globally, starting with English and Spanish (Tech Crunch, 19 August)
7. The Chatbot Updated. Users Lost a Friend. (NYT, 19 August)