Debunking the chain letters and misinformation that is commonly forwarded on the internet
Ever hear the one about the free trip to Disney World that Microsoft will give you if you forward an email to 15 friends? Bombarded by well-wishers’ emails warning of cinema seats rigged with AIDS infected needles, or bodily-organ-stealing bandits? It seems the glamour of the electronic age has made us soft. We’ll believe what we read on our PC screens, come-ons we’d dispose of without opening if delivered by the postal service. Two fine Web sites help to debunk giveaway hoaxes and urban legends. At www.nonprofit.net/hoax/hoax.html, Charles Hymes, a doctoral candidate in cognitive psychology and a computer programmer, provides advice on virus protection, pyramid scams and chain letters. The site includes categories such as “free goodies,” “evil companies and products” and “kooks.” Swindlers and storytellers are enthroned “bulletin board” style. Hymes posts reader inquiries and responses regarding questionable emails and documentation that disputes misleading claims. While the navigation of the site is a bit confusing, the information is outstanding. At www.urbanlegends.com, a more polished location, gullible surfers are given the truth about old yarns and the latest lies. Here, we learn that the famous Mrs. Field’s cookie recipe fib continues to flourish after 10 years of making the rounds. Celebrity gossip — “Paul is dead,” “what about gerbils” and “Tommy Hilfiger made racist slurs on Oprah” — is put under the cyber microscope. Armed with the true scoop, you’ll have no qualms about executing the delete option the next time your computer informs: “You’ve got mail!” <<< lv Ever hear the one about the free trip to Disney World that Microsoft will give you if you forward an email to 15 friends? Bombarded by well-wishers’ emails warning of cinema seats rigged with AIDS infected needles, or bodily-organ-stealing bandits? It seems the glamour of the electronic age has made us soft. We’ll believe what we read on our PC screens, come-ons we’d dispose of without opening if delivered by the postal service. Two fine Web sites help to debunk giveaway hoaxes and urban legends. At www.nonprofit.net/hoax/hoax.html, Charles Hymes, a doctoral candidate in cognitive psychology and a computer programmer, provides advice on virus protection, pyramid scams and chain letters. The site includes categories such as “free goodies,” “evil companies and products” and “kooks.” Swindlers and storytellers are enthroned “bulletin board” style. Hymes posts reader inquiries and responses regarding questionable emails and documentation that disputes misleading claims. While the navigation of the site is a bit confusing, the information is outstanding. At www.urbanlegends.com, a more polished location, gullible surfers are given the truth about old yarns and the latest lies. Here, we learn that the famous Mrs. Field’s cookie recipe fib continues to flourish after 10 years of making the rounds. Celebrity gossip — “Paul is dead,” “what about gerbils” and “Tommy Hilfiger made racist slurs on Oprah” — is put under the cyber microscope. Armed with the true scoop, you’ll have no qualms about executing the delete option the next time your computer informs: “You’ve got mail!” <<< lv