TIME: How to Spot Disinformation Around Election Day—And What to Do About It

With Nov. 3 just a few days away, unreliable and false information around the U.S. election process is swirling. A recent report from media watchdog group NewsGuard found that misinformation related to election security and voting has been “flourishing” online, and experts expect that could intensify further in the run-up to Election Day.

There are, however, several steps you can take to protect yourself and your community against false and misleading information.

First, a quick rundown of terms. Misinformation means false information that people share without realizing it’s false. That “can be like your mom shares something with you out of love because she’s worried about you,” but that information is still wrong, says Aimee Rinehart, U.S. deputy director of First Draft News, a nonprofit that works to fight mis- and disinformation online.

Disinformation, on the other hand, is false information that’s intentionally spread to mislead people, such as the falsehoods spread by Russian operatives in the 2016 general election. …

Since so many people are voting a new way this year, “some of this stuff doesn’t sound so crazy anymore,” says Jesse Littlewood, vice president of campaigns at the nonpartisan nonprofit Common Cause. “And we have unfortunately seen some bad actors weaponize that and say, ‘because of the coronavirus or because of social distancing, certain people need to vote after the election has concluded.’” Littlewood recommends consulting the nonpartisan National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS)’s website canivote.org for up-to-date information on your state’s rules.

Littlewood cites a growing trend in mis- and disinformation calling into question the security of vote-by-mail systems. Despite false claims by President Donald Trump and others that vote-by-mail is prone to fraud, evidence shows that vote-by-mail is safe and secure, he stresses. …

Put more trust in new sources with stronger journalistic standards, Common Cause’s Littlewood says. “There is a cottage industry of websites, Facebook pages and other social media assets that appear to be journalists and news organizations, but really are partisan operations designed to push a particular point of view,” he explains.

The main thing is not to amplify it, Littlewood urges. If it’s online, don’t share it—not even to point out it’s wrong. If it’s something a friend or family member shared, you should also consider reaching out and let them know it’s false …

Littlewood also suggests checking the URL of the website you’re consulting. If it has a “.gov” URL, that means it’s part of the U.S. government and is a trustworthy source. (Not every county elections website has a “.gov” URL, but that’s a good sign you can trust that website.)

And if you have any questions about voting, you can always call the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline.