JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Fake health-related news has spread rapidly through the internet, causing harm to individuals and society. Despite interventions, a fenbendazole scandal has recently spread to patients with lung cancer in Korea. It is crucial to intervene appropriately to prevent the spread of fake news.

Objective:

This study investigated the appropriate timing of interventions to minimize the side effects of fake news.

Methods:

A simulation was conducted using the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model, which is a representative model of the virus spread mechanism. We applied this model to the fake news spread mechanism. The parameters were set similarly to those in the online situation in which the fenbendazole scandal occurred. NetLogo, an agent-based model, was used as the analytical tool. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to check the trend of the analysis.

Results:

Fake news lasted 278 days in the absence of intervention. As a result of adjusting and analyzing the timing of the intervention according to the fenbendazole scandal, the faster the intervention, the shorter the duration of fake news (Intervention at 54 days = fake news that lasted for 210 days; intervention at 16 days = fake news that lasted for 187 days; and intervention at 10 days = fake news that lasted for 157 days). However, no significant differences were observed when the intervention was performed within 10 days. The sensitivity analysis showed that the trend of the study did not change.

Conclusions:

Intervention within 10 days was effective in reducing the duration of the spread of fake news. Our findings suggest that timely intervention is critical for preventing the spread of fake news online. Additionally, a monitoring system that can detect fake news should be developed for a rapid response.