Pete Wilton
@petewilton.bsky.social
#Science & #PublicHealth PR @lshtm.bsky.social. #Writing, #Books #History. Author of Spectrum of #Misinformation newsletter with news, analysis & practical advice: https://the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io Views model's own.
Pinned
As #deepfakes go mainstream, should we all be prepping for Slopageddon?
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
Reposted by Pete Wilton
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
Reposted by Pete Wilton
I was drawn to this humble, unassuming window at the Talbot Inn in Much Wenlock. Maybe it’s the bulls eye centre — or the thought of peeking faces, everyday moments, and stories it has seen over the centuries. What is it for you? 🤔
November 19, 2025 at 7:12 AM
I was drawn to this humble, unassuming window at the Talbot Inn in Much Wenlock. Maybe it’s the bulls eye centre — or the thought of peeking faces, everyday moments, and stories it has seen over the centuries. What is it for you? 🤔
Reposted by Pete Wilton
You're a parasitic ant queen eyeing the colony of another species. You have a simple plan:
1. Hide your scent by rubbing workers on your body
2. Infiltrate the nest
3. Spray the queen with chemicals that goad her daughters into tearing her to bits
4. All hail the usurper!
(my latest for CNN) 🧪
1. Hide your scent by rubbing workers on your body
2. Infiltrate the nest
3. Spray the queen with chemicals that goad her daughters into tearing her to bits
4. All hail the usurper!
(my latest for CNN) 🧪
Parasitic ant queen chemically manipulates workers into killing their mother | CNN
Scientists newly described how a parasitic ant queen infiltrates another ant species’ colony and tricks the workers into killing their mother.
www.cnn.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:48 PM
You're a parasitic ant queen eyeing the colony of another species. You have a simple plan:
1. Hide your scent by rubbing workers on your body
2. Infiltrate the nest
3. Spray the queen with chemicals that goad her daughters into tearing her to bits
4. All hail the usurper!
(my latest for CNN) 🧪
1. Hide your scent by rubbing workers on your body
2. Infiltrate the nest
3. Spray the queen with chemicals that goad her daughters into tearing her to bits
4. All hail the usurper!
(my latest for CNN) 🧪
Reposted by Pete Wilton
It gets dark early now and the country is raked by rain, so if you're the protagonist in an M John Harrison novel now is the right time of year to take a slow train to an unfamiliar town to check on an old friend who hasn't been doing so well
November 15, 2025 at 12:31 PM
It gets dark early now and the country is raked by rain, so if you're the protagonist in an M John Harrison novel now is the right time of year to take a slow train to an unfamiliar town to check on an old friend who hasn't been doing so well
Reposted by Pete Wilton
'Incendiaries' (1940-1945) by Paul Lucien Dessau
(Museum of London)
(Museum of London)
November 11, 2025 at 7:28 PM
'Incendiaries' (1940-1945) by Paul Lucien Dessau
(Museum of London)
(Museum of London)
Reposted by Pete Wilton
Happy Sunday! 🦛 💙
Adorable ancient Egyptian blue faience hippos made by artisans some 4,000 years ago!
📷 by me
#Archaeology
Adorable ancient Egyptian blue faience hippos made by artisans some 4,000 years ago!
📷 by me
#Archaeology
November 9, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Happy Sunday! 🦛 💙
Adorable ancient Egyptian blue faience hippos made by artisans some 4,000 years ago!
📷 by me
#Archaeology
Adorable ancient Egyptian blue faience hippos made by artisans some 4,000 years ago!
📷 by me
#Archaeology
There must be some way I can inherit a house in a cursed town by the sea where I must whittle haunted wood into offerings for The Forgotten Ones, beach combing at sunset, glancing nervously behind me for the footprints of the unseen.
November 8, 2025 at 7:20 PM
There must be some way I can inherit a house in a cursed town by the sea where I must whittle haunted wood into offerings for The Forgotten Ones, beach combing at sunset, glancing nervously behind me for the footprints of the unseen.
TikTok influencers are influencing men to get testosterone therapy they don't need.
Potentially side effects can include infertility.
#misinformation #PublicHealth
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Potentially side effects can include infertility.
#misinformation #PublicHealth
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Social media misinformation driving men to NHS clinics in search of testosterone they don’t need
Endocrinologists warn taking testosterone unnecessarily can suppress the body’s natural hormone production
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:37 PM
TikTok influencers are influencing men to get testosterone therapy they don't need.
Potentially side effects can include infertility.
#misinformation #PublicHealth
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Potentially side effects can include infertility.
#misinformation #PublicHealth
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
I keep thinking about this too:
💥Tech CEOs talking about #AI singularity as if it's the rapture
💥Worship of black box algorithms no one understands
💥Insisting on blind belief now for future rewards
💥Selling digital indulgences for £££
If it looks like a cult & sounds like a cult...
💥Tech CEOs talking about #AI singularity as if it's the rapture
💥Worship of black box algorithms no one understands
💥Insisting on blind belief now for future rewards
💥Selling digital indulgences for £££
If it looks like a cult & sounds like a cult...
Under-explored (in my feed anyway) angle on AI relevant to the latest horrors. I have had unformed thoughts for a while on the potential uses of religion in this moment. Also stay for the parallel between Tim Leary pushing psychedelics and what current tech CEOs are doing.
As terrible as the record of the Christian Church is for regulating and certifying its Spiritual Guides and Pastoral Care workers, it is still WILDLY better than “an LLM and the people who made it”. Same goes for any major religious community, tbh.
November 8, 2025 at 10:42 AM
I keep thinking about this too:
💥Tech CEOs talking about #AI singularity as if it's the rapture
💥Worship of black box algorithms no one understands
💥Insisting on blind belief now for future rewards
💥Selling digital indulgences for £££
If it looks like a cult & sounds like a cult...
💥Tech CEOs talking about #AI singularity as if it's the rapture
💥Worship of black box algorithms no one understands
💥Insisting on blind belief now for future rewards
💥Selling digital indulgences for £££
If it looks like a cult & sounds like a cult...
Reposted by Pete Wilton
As #deepfakes go mainstream, should we all be prepping for Slopageddon?
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
November 5, 2025 at 8:21 AM
As #deepfakes go mainstream, should we all be prepping for Slopageddon?
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
Reposted by Pete Wilton
TBF they were in a blind...
November 4, 2025 at 8:31 PM
TBF they were in a blind...
As #deepfakes go mainstream, should we all be prepping for Slopageddon?
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
November 5, 2025 at 8:21 AM
As #deepfakes go mainstream, should we all be prepping for Slopageddon?
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
💥MPs warn UK complacent on GenAI #misinformation
💥Sora 2 "willing hoax generator"
💥Self-regulated labelling of #GenAI content failing
What to do? Read more: the-spectrum-of-misinformation.ghost.io/slopageddon-...
LOL
November 4, 2025 at 8:28 PM
LOL
Just realised that my December newsletter should be my Review of the Year: #misinformation in 2025 😵
Advance warning: Readers, it's going to be a wild, wild ride...
Advance warning: Readers, it's going to be a wild, wild ride...
November 1, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Just realised that my December newsletter should be my Review of the Year: #misinformation in 2025 😵
Advance warning: Readers, it's going to be a wild, wild ride...
Advance warning: Readers, it's going to be a wild, wild ride...
Reposted by Pete Wilton
So, I hate to be this guy, but as the director of Yale’s new program on attribution science (!?), uh, most of the commentary on Bluesky about Hurricane Melissa and climate change has been… not quite right
October 31, 2025 at 2:19 AM
So, I hate to be this guy, but as the director of Yale’s new program on attribution science (!?), uh, most of the commentary on Bluesky about Hurricane Melissa and climate change has been… not quite right
Reposted by Pete Wilton
Chatbots’ vulnerability to manipulation raises questions about the responsibilities of governments and industry in preventing the spread of propaganda and sanctioned content.
Read the full report below.
www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp...
Read the full report below.
www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp...
Investigation | Talking Points: When chatbots surface Russian state media
As chatbots rival search engines as the go-to source for information, their vulnerability to state propaganda poses new risks for information integrity and urgent questions for regulators.
www.isdglobal.org
October 27, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Chatbots’ vulnerability to manipulation raises questions about the responsibilities of governments and industry in preventing the spread of propaganda and sanctioned content.
Read the full report below.
www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp...
Read the full report below.
www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp...
Books to read on World Pasta Day (today)…
•The Heart is a Cannelloni Hunter
•Love in the Time of Carbonara
•Farfalle from the Madding Crowd
•The Merchant of Vermicelli
•Silas Marinara
•Remembrance of Things Pasta
•Pi-gnocci-o
•A Tale of Two Zitis
•Fear and Loathing in Lasagne
•Al Dente's Inferno
•The Heart is a Cannelloni Hunter
•Love in the Time of Carbonara
•Farfalle from the Madding Crowd
•The Merchant of Vermicelli
•Silas Marinara
•Remembrance of Things Pasta
•Pi-gnocci-o
•A Tale of Two Zitis
•Fear and Loathing in Lasagne
•Al Dente's Inferno
October 25, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Pete Wilton
🆕Film by LSHTM explores 'Hidden Malaria' in #India
It goes inside a research project looking at why #malaria persists in regions like Odisha despite declining rates across the country, & hidden reservoirs of #infection that show no symptoms.🦟
🎥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP88...
It goes inside a research project looking at why #malaria persists in regions like Odisha despite declining rates across the country, & hidden reservoirs of #infection that show no symptoms.🦟
🎥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP88...
Hidden Malaria: The hunt for an invisible enemy
YouTube video by LSHTM
www.youtube.com
October 24, 2025 at 10:28 AM
🆕Film by LSHTM explores 'Hidden Malaria' in #India
It goes inside a research project looking at why #malaria persists in regions like Odisha despite declining rates across the country, & hidden reservoirs of #infection that show no symptoms.🦟
🎥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP88...
It goes inside a research project looking at why #malaria persists in regions like Odisha despite declining rates across the country, & hidden reservoirs of #infection that show no symptoms.🦟
🎥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP88...
Reposted by Pete Wilton
Public health is under attack by a deluge of misinformation. We offer a consensus report from the American Psychological Association summarizing what we know & what interventions are effective in countering it. We provide 8 concrete recommendations. Open-access - awspntest.apa.org/fulltext/202...
October 23, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Public health is under attack by a deluge of misinformation. We offer a consensus report from the American Psychological Association summarizing what we know & what interventions are effective in countering it. We provide 8 concrete recommendations. Open-access - awspntest.apa.org/fulltext/202...
The Last Sacrifice - A Film by Rupert Russell
YouTube video by Anti-Worlds releasing
youtu.be
October 23, 2025 at 12:53 PM
"University is only about getting a highly-paid job..."
"Arts & humanities degrees are 'low value'..."
Oh, wait 😍: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"Arts & humanities degrees are 'low value'..."
Oh, wait 😍: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Londonderry: 90-year-old woman graduates from university
90-year-old Maryette was the oldest of more than 300 graduates at the Open University's ceremony in Belfast on Tuesday.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 18, 2025 at 8:08 AM
"University is only about getting a highly-paid job..."
"Arts & humanities degrees are 'low value'..."
Oh, wait 😍: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"Arts & humanities degrees are 'low value'..."
Oh, wait 😍: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Pete Wilton
🆕Listen to LSHTM Viral podcast for highlights from our recent Health Misinformation: UNPACKED event
Hear leading experts discuss how we can tackle harmful health #misinformation with exclusive insights, reactions & behind the scenes interviews.
@kjcbyrne.bsky.social
pod.link/1497329104/e...
Hear leading experts discuss how we can tackle harmful health #misinformation with exclusive insights, reactions & behind the scenes interviews.
@kjcbyrne.bsky.social
pod.link/1497329104/e...
October 15, 2025 at 1:38 PM
🆕Listen to LSHTM Viral podcast for highlights from our recent Health Misinformation: UNPACKED event
Hear leading experts discuss how we can tackle harmful health #misinformation with exclusive insights, reactions & behind the scenes interviews.
@kjcbyrne.bsky.social
pod.link/1497329104/e...
Hear leading experts discuss how we can tackle harmful health #misinformation with exclusive insights, reactions & behind the scenes interviews.
@kjcbyrne.bsky.social
pod.link/1497329104/e...
Reposted by Pete Wilton
Government appears "complacent" about the spread of misinformation, and "it is only a matter of time" until fake news online leads to civil unrest like riots following the Southport attack, MPs have warned
Ministers have rejected tech committee recommendations about strengthening online safety law
Ministers have rejected tech committee recommendations about strengthening online safety law
There'll Be More Southport-Style Riots If Government Doesn't Tackle Misinformation, Committee Warns
MPs have warned that the government appears 'complacent' about the spread of misinformation, and 'it is only a matter of time' until fake news onli...
www.politicshome.com
October 17, 2025 at 10:48 AM
Government appears "complacent" about the spread of misinformation, and "it is only a matter of time" until fake news online leads to civil unrest like riots following the Southport attack, MPs have warned
Ministers have rejected tech committee recommendations about strengthening online safety law
Ministers have rejected tech committee recommendations about strengthening online safety law
Reposted by Pete Wilton
I don't know if there's such a thing as a "world cyberwar" but I think we are in one? and the US is determined to lose it. 🧵
Today the admin is mass-firing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the nation's cybersecurity protection across all levels of government.
Today the admin is mass-firing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the nation's cybersecurity protection across all levels of government.
October 11, 2025 at 3:15 AM
I don't know if there's such a thing as a "world cyberwar" but I think we are in one? and the US is determined to lose it. 🧵
Today the admin is mass-firing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the nation's cybersecurity protection across all levels of government.
Today the admin is mass-firing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the nation's cybersecurity protection across all levels of government.
Reposted by Pete Wilton
