Orange Digital Center and Maldita.es launch a free online course to identify disinformation in the digital world

The course is completely free and consists of 4 modules that can be completed from a computer, mobile phone or tablet. The 4 modules, consisting of short explanatory videos and a self-assessment quiz, will be released between April and June. To take the course, users must complete a simple registration process.

The entire course is designed to be completed in 90 minutes. Here’s what you’ll learn in each module.

How to Differentiate Digital Content

The first part of the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) helps us to better identify online advertising and social media, and to be aware that not everything we see or find on the Internet is information: there are opinion pieces, entertainment, humorous content… and it’s not always easy to differentiate between them.

What hoaxes are and how to spot them

In the second module, we look at the different types of disinformation we can find and how they spread. We can receive hoaxes in the form of manipulated images, WhatsApp audio, fake tweets… because a hoax is not just something that looks like news, and that’s why at Maldita.es we don’t like to use the term fake news. Also, in this section we talk about the importance of critical thinking and how to train it.

Verify with simple tools

Do you want to verify something that smells fishy? The third module is full of keys and tools to do just that. The first thing is to pay close attention to all the details, and we tell you how to do that with real-world examples. We’ll also see how to track down suspicious images (yes, even those generated by artificial intelligence) or check if that supposedly eye-catching tweet was actually published.

Beware of phishing and online scams

You know those suspicious emails or text messages that seem to come from your bank or package delivery company? These are often phishing attempts, and while we may recognize some of them, scammers use many strategies to try to fool us. That’s why, in the final module of this course, we’ll review the types of phishing and the keys to recognizing and avoiding them. We’ll also see what to do if we get scammed, because it can happen to anyone and it’s important to know how to respond.

This project was developed by Maldita.es at the request of Orange Digital Center, which wants to provide its users with tools and content to create a healthier digital environment.