Latest from Nora Young
CBC Investigates
Fake election news ads are luring people into investment schemes. We got some taken down
Fake ads that purport to show CBC News articles are once more circulating online — with the end goal of convincing Canadians to sign up for sketchy investment schemes. The CBC’s Visual Investigations unit looks into how the ads have changed and what to watch out for.
As AI images flood the internet, can these tools help you tell what's real?
AI image detector tools are only growing in popularity as it becomes more difficult to tell if online images or videos are real or fake. CBC News’ Visual Investigations team tested some of the most popular free tools online to see how effective they are — and whether you should trust them.
Did Mark Carney's campaign use AI to boost crowd sizes? We investigated
Following an event for Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney last week, some social media users claimed that at least some of the supporters pictured in still photos shared by the campaign were AI-generated. The CBC’s visual investigations team has examined the image. Here's what they found.
CBC Investigates
Fake CBC ads have flooded X with sketchy headlines. We looked for the source
X users have been subjected to a flood of ads that feature fake CBC headlines, leading to fake CBC-style articles. In the end, it’s part of an international investment scheme.
This TikTok account pumped out fake war footage with AI — until CBC News investigated
A TikTok account sharing AI-generated videos of explosions and burning cities has disappeared from the platform. But the type of content it hosted — what experts call “AI slop” — is still going strong.
Giveaway: Minecraft for Parents
Minecraft, the wildly popular game for adults and children, lets users construct things out of virtual objects. It has earned praise for its potential as a fun, creative, and educational game for kids. Sounds great, right? It also has a bit of a reputation as a source of frustration for parents who are trying to customize the game the way...
Black Code: Interview and Contest
When Spark interviewed Ron Deibert back in late May, about his book, Black Code we talked about espionage, and the growing role of governments in shaping the future of the internet. Little did we know, though, that about a week after we talked, the first of many sensational news stories would come out about spying, based on leaks by Edward...
Recreating the Sounds of the Roaring Twenties
I just interviewed Emily Thompson, a history professor at Princeton University. Emily researches the cultural history of sound, and how our acoustic environment has changed over time, particularly in the early part of the 20th century. Now, she and collaborator Scott Mahoy have created a fabulous website called The Roaring Twenties (as part of the online journal, Vectors). It brings...
Religion, Spirituality, Magic...and Technology
Recently, I talked to Jeremy Stolow. He is a media historian at Concordia University, and editor of the book, Deus In Machina: Religion, Technology, and the Things in Between. He takes on the conventional idea of religion and technology as separate, contradictory spheres, and shows instead how they're connected. Contributors to the book look at a wide range of examples,...
Breaking Bad...Technology
Hi there. Nora here. The other day, I was putting away my pasta machine. It's a manual device that's probably about 15 years old by now. It has a C clamp that lets you attach the machine to the kitchen table. You insert the handle into the side of it, feed your pasta dough in, and turn the crank to...