"These are not just readers of tabloids or people who buy lottery
tickets based on fortune cookie numbers," a spokesman said. "Most are
otherwise normal people, who would laugh at the same stories if told to
them by a stranger on a streetcorner." However, once these same people
become infected with the Gullibility Virus, they believe anything they
read on the Internet.
"My immunity to tall tales and bizarre claims is all gone," reported
one weeping victim. "I believe every warning message and sick child
story my friends forward to me, even though most of the messages are
anonymous."
Another victim, now in remission, added, "When I first heard about Good
Times, I just accepted it without question. After all, there were
dozens of other recipients on the mail header, so I thought the virus
must be true." It was a long time, the victim said, before she could
stand up at a Hoaxees Anonymous meeting and state, "My name is Jane, and
I've been hoaxed." Now, however, she is spreading the word. "Challenge
and check whatever you read," she says.
Internet users are urged to examine themselves for symptoms of the
virus, which include the following:
* the willingness to believe improbable stories without thinking
* the urge to forward multiple copies of such
stories to others
* a lack of desire to take three minutes to check
to see if a story is true
T. C. is an example of someone recently infected. He told one reporter,
"I read on the Net that the major ingredient in almost all shampoos
makes your hair fall out, so I've stopped using shampoo." When told
about the Gullibility Virus, T. C. said he would stop reading email, so
that he would not become infected.
Anyone with symptoms like these is urged to seek help immediately.
Experts recommend that at the first feelings of gullibility, Internet
users rush to their favorite search engine and look up the item tempting
them to thoughtless credence. Most hoaxes, legends, and tall tales have
been widely discussed and exposed by the Internet community.
Courses in critical thinking are also widely available, and there is
online help from many sources, including
* Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability at
<http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html>
* Symantec Anti Virus Research Center at
<http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/index.html>
<http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html>
* McAfee Associates Virus Hoax List at
<http://www.mcafee.com/support/hoax.html>
* Dr. Solomons Hoax Page at
<http://www.drsolomons.com/vircen/hoax.html>
* The Urban Legends Web Site at
<http://www.urbanlegends.com>
* Urban Legends Reference Pages at
<http://www.snopes.com>
* Datafellows Hoax Warnings at
<http://www.Europe.Datafellows.com/news/hoax.htm>
* Computer Virus Myths home page at
<http://www.kumite.com/myths>
* IBM - antivirus online hype alerts at
<http://www.av.ibm.com/BreakingNews/HypeAlert/>
* NCSA/ICSA Main Menu
<http://www.ncsa.com/services/consortia/anti-virus/alerthoax.html>
Hoaxes and myths on the Internet:
* Evaluating Internet Research Sources at
<http://www.sccu.edu/faculty/R_Harris/evalu8it.htm>
* Evaluation of Information Sources at
<http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm>
* Bibliography on Evaluating Internet Resources at
<http://refserver.lib.vt.edu/libinst/critTHINK.HTM>
* Don't Spread that Hoax!
<http://www.nonprofit.net/hoax/index.html>
Lastly, as a public service, Internet users can help stamp out the
Gullibility Virus by sending copies of this message to anyone who forwards
them a hoax.
At 21:47 12/08/99 +0100, David King wrote:
>
>A new virus - WOBBLER.
>
>It will arrive on e-mail titled "CALIFORNIA". IBM and AOL have announced
>that it is VERY powerful, more so than Melissa,there is no remedy.
<snip>
There is a basic mental weakness evidenced by anyone
who would blame a tool for the foibles of its wielder.
-- http://personales.conexion.com.py/~rolgiati/ --
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