‘News’ Site Keeps Hallucinating EFF Staffers (www.eff.org)
<div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden"><div class="field__items"><div class="field__item even"><p><span data-contrast="none">What do EFF staffers </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/honoring-the-internet-legend-who-made-us-laugh-for-a-decade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">Sarah Chen</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/alabama-family-pleads-for-return-of-son-missing-in-japan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">Javier Morales</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/burlington-police-track-cross-state-incident-with-flock-cameras/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">Caitlin Chin</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/top-computer-science-researcher-at-sam-houston-state-university-in-huntsville-tx/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">Emma Rodriguez</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, and </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/pierre-3d-model-wip-bringing-my-favorite-character-to-life-in-look-outside/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">Mikko Kopponen</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> have in common?</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">For one thing, they don’t exist.</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">For another, all have been quoted as EFF experts in articles published in the past two months on a site called </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">News-USA Today</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, which </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">describes itself</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> as “an independent news publisher focused on clear, accurate, and useful journalism.”</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">Uh…</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">(Please don’t confuse this site with </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">USA Today</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, in which real EFF experts are accurately quoted on a regular basis.)</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">News-USA Today is hardly the only slagheap that’s hallucinating or fabricating EFF personnel and quotes; </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/09/wave-phony-news-quotes-affects-everyone-including-eff" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">as we wrote last September</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_journalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">media companies large and small</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> are using AI to generate news content because it’s cheaper than paying for journalists’ salaries, but that savings can come at the cost of the outlets’ reputations— assuming they care about reputation at all.</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">But this many fake EFF sources in two months? That’s making a play for the championship title of bogus news content.</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-ccp-props="0}">News-USA Today’s site </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">proclaims</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, “Our goal is simple: give readers the facts and the context they need to make informed decisions.” It then defines its mission:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span data-ccp-props="0}">“Deliver timely, factual reporting grounded in verifiable sources and public documents.”</span></li>
<li><span data-ccp-props="0}">“Make complex topics understandable without losing nuance or accuracy.”</span></li>
<li><span data-ccp-props="0}">“Serve the public interest by surfacing stories that affect lives, institutions, and communities.”</span></li>
<li><span data-ccp-props="0}">“Maintain a clear separation between news, analysis, opinion, and sponsored content.”</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span data-ccp-props="0}">Attempts to reach </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">contacts listed on the site</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> went unanswered. </span><span data-contrast="auto">In fact, after we reached out to them, </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/micsky-combining-sophisticated-ip-law-and-technical-expertise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">they published a story on June 9</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> with quotes from Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Jared Cohen — who also doesn’t exist. </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">As we noted last year, EFF is all about having our words spread far and wide. Per</span><a href="https://www.eff.org/copyright" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <span data-contrast="none">our copyright policy</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, any and all original material on the EFF website may be freely distributed at will under the</span><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <span data-contrast="none">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY)</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, unless otherwise noted. </span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">However, we don't want disreputable sites making up words (or false identities!) for us, whether or not they’re using AI. False quotations that misstate our positions damage the trust that the public and reputable media outlets have in us. </span><span data-ccp-props="240}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">The best thing a news consumer can do is invest a little time and energy to learn how to discern the real from the fake. It’s unfortunate that it's the public’s burden to put in this much effort, but while we're adjusting to new tools and a new normal, a little effort now can go a long way. </span><span data-ccp-props="240}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">As we’ve noted before</span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/protect-yourself-election-misinformation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <span data-contrast="none">in the context of election misinformation</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, the nonprofit journalism organization </span><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/misinformvation-vs-disinformation-midterm-election-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">ProPublica</span></a> <span data-contrast="auto">has published a handy guide </span><span data-contrast="none">about how to tell if what you’re reading is accurate or “fake news,” as has </span><a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">FactCheck.org</span></a><span data-contrast="none">.</span><span data-ccp-props="240}"> </span></p>
</div></div></div>
<p><span data-contrast="none">For one thing, they don’t exist.</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">For another, all have been quoted as EFF experts in articles published in the past two months on a site called </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">News-USA Today</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, which </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">describes itself</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> as “an independent news publisher focused on clear, accurate, and useful journalism.”</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">Uh…</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">(Please don’t confuse this site with </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">USA Today</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, in which real EFF experts are accurately quoted on a regular basis.)</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">News-USA Today is hardly the only slagheap that’s hallucinating or fabricating EFF personnel and quotes; </span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/09/wave-phony-news-quotes-affects-everyone-including-eff" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">as we wrote last September</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_journalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">media companies large and small</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> are using AI to generate news content because it’s cheaper than paying for journalists’ salaries, but that savings can come at the cost of the outlets’ reputations— assuming they care about reputation at all.</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">But this many fake EFF sources in two months? That’s making a play for the championship title of bogus news content.</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-ccp-props="0}">News-USA Today’s site </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">proclaims</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, “Our goal is simple: give readers the facts and the context they need to make informed decisions.” It then defines its mission:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span data-ccp-props="0}">“Deliver timely, factual reporting grounded in verifiable sources and public documents.”</span></li>
<li><span data-ccp-props="0}">“Make complex topics understandable without losing nuance or accuracy.”</span></li>
<li><span data-ccp-props="0}">“Serve the public interest by surfacing stories that affect lives, institutions, and communities.”</span></li>
<li><span data-ccp-props="0}">“Maintain a clear separation between news, analysis, opinion, and sponsored content.”</span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span data-ccp-props="0}">Attempts to reach </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">contacts listed on the site</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> went unanswered. </span><span data-contrast="auto">In fact, after we reached out to them, </span><a href="https://news-usa.today/micsky-combining-sophisticated-ip-law-and-technical-expertise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">they published a story on June 9</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> with quotes from Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Jared Cohen — who also doesn’t exist. </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">As we noted last year, EFF is all about having our words spread far and wide. Per</span><a href="https://www.eff.org/copyright" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <span data-contrast="none">our copyright policy</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, any and all original material on the EFF website may be freely distributed at will under the</span><a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <span data-contrast="none">Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY)</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, unless otherwise noted. </span><span data-ccp-props="0}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">However, we don't want disreputable sites making up words (or false identities!) for us, whether or not they’re using AI. False quotations that misstate our positions damage the trust that the public and reputable media outlets have in us. </span><span data-ccp-props="240}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">The best thing a news consumer can do is invest a little time and energy to learn how to discern the real from the fake. It’s unfortunate that it's the public’s burden to put in this much effort, but while we're adjusting to new tools and a new normal, a little effort now can go a long way. </span><span data-ccp-props="240}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">As we’ve noted before</span><a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/03/protect-yourself-election-misinformation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <span data-contrast="none">in the context of election misinformation</span></a><span data-contrast="none">, the nonprofit journalism organization </span><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/misinformvation-vs-disinformation-midterm-election-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">ProPublica</span></a> <span data-contrast="auto">has published a handy guide </span><span data-contrast="none">about how to tell if what you’re reading is accurate or “fake news,” as has </span><a href="https://www.factcheck.org/2016/11/how-to-spot-fake-news/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span data-contrast="none">FactCheck.org</span></a><span data-contrast="none">.</span><span data-ccp-props="240}"> </span></p>
</div></div></div>
Comments