Imagine scrolling through social media during an election: a video appears of a candidate saying something outrageous, an image goes viral with a shocking caption, and a friend forwards a meme that seems to confirm your worst fears about politics. In Mexico, this is not a hypothetical scenario. The 2024 elections unfolded in a digital environment where artificial intelligence, automated accounts, and recommendation algorithms made it easier than ever to create and spread false or misleading information. Deepfakes, manipulated audio, and synthetic media blurred the line between what was real and what was fabricated. In response, two very different kinds…

In the quiet, pastoral folds of Molalla, Oregon, where the views of the Cascade foothills are more likely to inspire a sense of peace than a sense of urgency, a different kind of storm has been brewing—not in the skies, but in the comment sections of local Facebook groups and the whispers at the grocery store. A rumor has taken hold, spreading like wildfire, that the city government is secretly conspiring to bring a massive data center to the outskirts of town, paving over farmland and threatening the rural character that defines the community. The narrative is compelling in its…