Digital Fact-Checking in the Age of AI: Trust, Privacy, and the Everyday Practices of Truthfulness Verification
Digital Fact-Checking in the Age of AI: Trust, Privacy, and the Everyday Practices of Truthfulness Verification

Summary/Abstract: This article examines how confidence in everyday digital practices, such as searching for product information, managing social media privacy settings, and restricting browser cookies, shapes individuals' confidence in their ability to fact-check online content. The analysis of a recent CROss-National Online Survey (CRONOS) data from 11 European countries reveals that confidence in these digital skills is a stronger predictor of fact-checking confidence than socio-demographic and structural characteristics, participation in digital training, or frequency of internet use. The findings suggest that individuals approach online truthfulness not primarily as epistemic agents or citizens, but as consumers searching for reliable offers. The analysis also provides evidence that trust in scientists enhances fact-checking confidence, while generalized interpersonal trust reduces it, highlighting the need to distinguish between offline and online social norms. Based on these findings, policy recommendations to strengthen the digital fact-checking skills of European citizens are formulated.

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