Content farms develop and spread fake news about COVID-19 for profit

2020-08-13 03:30

RiskIQ released a research report revealing a large-scale digital scam advertisement campaign spread through fraudulent news sites and affiliate ad networks that cater to highly partisan audiences.

Scammers are taking advantage of COVID-19 to spread fake news.

The report details how misleading, false, and inflammatory news stories about the COVID-19 pandemic are developed on a massive scale by "Content farms," which monetize through ads served by ad networks targeting highly partisan readership.

The report clearly defines an ecosystem between partisan content farms that monetize through ad revenue, ad networks that take a cut of the profit, and advertisers that use the generated traffic to ensnare victims in subscription traps.

These content farms generate traffic by creating politically charged articles leveraging the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty around COVID-19 and gearing them toward a specific audience.

News URL

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HelpNetSecurity/~3/YgXs0QYpBfU/

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