Truth, lies, and the Internet

People shouldn't believe everything they read--especially, it seems, on the Internet. Cyberculture runs rampant with stories about spoofs, virus scares, urban legends, and outright fraud. The fact that a message can circulate from its point of origin or a circle of people to all corners of the worldwide network is the Net's greatest and most garish feature.

Recently, this duality was epitomized by the Kurt Vonnegut email hoax, where a university commencement speech purportedly by the author was in fact a Chicago Tribune column written by Mary Schmich. Thousands, if not more, had a chuckle and forwarded it to others without a thought to its authenticity. While this was a relatively harmless occurrence, one can easily imagine more embarrassing revelations (remember Pierre Salinger's TWA missile theory?), as well as libelous or otherwise damaging consequences to online information.

Bill Gates sharing his fortune

I just got this in an e-mail:<br /><br />Dear Friends; Please do not take this for a junk letter. Bill Gates sharing his fortune. If you ignore this, You will repent later. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test <br /><br />When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it ( If you are a Microsoft Windows user) For a two weeks time period. <br /><br />For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00 For every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it, You will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check. <br /><br />What's your opinion....we'd like to know<br />Thanks

[manjula7]

Louisiana Mulch

I got an e mail saying not to buy the cheap mulch at home depot as it is ground up wood from the hurricane in Louisian and is full of some kind of dangerous termite that as of now is only in Louisiana. Is this baloney or truth?

[craigj2]

Bill Gates is doing WHAT?

Sharing his fortune? Even if he did wish to do that, this is not the way he would go about doing it. What's to stop TERRORISTS from forwarding emails, collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars from Microsoft, then thanking him by hijacking a plane and flying it into Microsoft headquarters? <br />By the way, "email tracking software" does not exist, and if it did, it would raise many issues, especially privacy issues. Don't expect to see it anytime soon.<br />So, the next time you receive a Hoax email which attempts to blackmail you emotionally by telling you that ?Make A Wish Foundation has agreed to donate 7 cents to cure babies suffering from Cancer for every time this message is sent on,? simply delete it.