Adware Report : Web of Deception : Misinformation on the Internet: Amazon U.S.A.

From the book lists at Adware Report:

All information current as of 14:11:23 Pacific Time, Saturday, 19 March 2005.

Web of Deception : Misinformation on the Internet

   by Steve Forbes / Anne P. Mintz

  Paperback:
    Cyberage Books/Information Today, Inc.
    28 September, 2002

   US$16.47

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Editorial description(s):

From Publishers Weekly
There's a vast amount of intentionally misleading and erroneous information on the Web, says Anne P. Mintz, the director of knowledge management at Forbes Inc. To help readers recognize and deal with this problem, she has gathered 10 contributors to write Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet. The authors-who range from database experts to consultants to librarians-examine various pitfalls casual Internet users and professionals should watch out for. The subjects include e-commerce fraud, Web sites that "play doctor," identity theft, charity scams and more. One of the book's most revealing chapters is librarian LaJean Humphries's explanation of how to evaluate a Web site. She suggests considering who wrote the site's content, how often it is updated and if the document is well written. A "webliography" lists sites that offer quality information (among them, www.fraud.org and www.charitablechoices.org). Mintz's wise book will be of great help to parents, educators and every Internet surfer.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-The 10 information-industry professionals who contributed essays to this book were commissioned to share their expertise in illuminating and analyzing the "dark side" of the Web. They aim to impart critical-awareness skills, a healthy dose of skepticism, and practical tips to Internet users. By coaching consumers to engage proactively in investigative search techniques, they want to educate an online community that will be less likely to fall prey to hoaxes, charitable scams, identity theft, medical or legal misinformation, and fraudulent e-commerce schemes. Chapters on how to evaluate Web sites and on how search engines work will be particularly valuable to students, arming them with checklists for establishing authority, strengthening their ability to discern bias, and alerting them to considerations of "paid placement" and subtle advertising in ranked search results. Each topic is thoughtfully addressed, documented with excellent examples, and, in some cases, accompanied by remedies or "countermeasures" to pursue to redress a grievance. An extensive index and a Webliography of quality sites mentioned in the text (many representing links to key government and nonprofit resources) round out the book. The multiple authorship of the text causes the writing to be a bit uneven; some chapters are readily accessible to casual readers, while others target a more sophisticated audience. Nevertheless, the book represents a welcome addition to the arsenal of tools offering guidance on identifying trustworthy, accurate data on the Web, and provides a public service by enumerating techniques for spotting misrepresentations.
Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Edited by the director of knowledge management at Forbes Inc., this collection of essays on the use of the Internet to deceive intentionally brings together the experience of both information industry professionals and librarians in order to shed light on the darker corners of the Internet. Contributers include Mintz, Paul Piper, Susan Detwiler, Stephen Arnold, and Susan Feldman. Certainly deception and antisocial behavior (and gullible victims) preexisted long before the Internet; however, the electronic realm has proved to be a fertile playground for thieves, charlatans, and propagandists. The types of intentionally deceptive Internet activity covered include counterfeit web sites and web hoaxes, medical misinformation, corporate misinformation, identity theft, privacy invasion/data mining, charity scams, consumer fraud, questionable legal advice, and search engine/ad placement issues. Examples of intentional deception range from the hilarious to the potentially deadly. Other chapters provide information on evaluating web sites and using search engines and what to do if you are a victim of fraud. Short of unplugging from the Internet completely, there are ways to protect and advise library patrons who use the net, and this book provides detailed information, countermeasures, and useful web sites. It would be difficult for any print book to be up-to-date on the creatively devious ways that online users can be exploited on a daily basis. However, the remedies offered are still current and broad enough to be useful. Although data mining is discussed, a chapter on adware, or so-called "spyware," would be helpful in any future edition. Recommended for public, school, and academic librarians, especially those who teach information literacy workshops. [Index not seen.] Robert L. Battenfeld, Long Island Univ.-Southampton Coll. Lib., N.-- Robert L. Battenfeld, Long Island Univ.
Southampton Coll. Lib., NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Inc. Magazine
"The book reads like a herpetologist's tour through a pit of electronic vipers."

About the Author
Anne P. Mintz has taught online database searching at the Columbia University Graduate School of Library Service. She is currently the director of knowledge management at Forbes, Inc. She lives in New York City.

Book Description
As the Internet has become flooded with untrustworthy information, some of which is intentionally misleading or erroneous, this book teaches Web surfers how inaccurate data can affect their health, privacy, investments, business decisions, online purchases, and legal affairs. Bringing together the world's leading information-age observers, analysts, writers, and practitioners, this analysis reveals the Web as fertile ground for deception and misinformation. These experts provide hard-won advice on how to recognize misinformation in its myriad forms and disguises. Included are an array of tips on how to evaluate Web sites for quality and bias, checklists for navigating the Internet more effectively, and advice for those who have been duped.

Reader review(s):

Great reality-check on the quality of info on the web, September 13, 2002
Anne Mintz has gathered the collective wisdom of nine experts on web research, and each chapter is full of useful advice on how to suss out misinformation on the Net. In addition to the obvious scams, it covers issues such as what search engines DON'T search, how health misinformation gets disseminated, and how to evaluate the validity of information on the web.

This should be required reading for anyone with access to the web.

An Essential Book on an Important Topic, October 8, 2002
Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet is an essential read about a topic many of us deal with several times a day.

General search engines create the databases we search by finding what they can. No time is spent judging and analyzing the accuracy of the site or the reputation of the publisher. Fine, this is how general web search tools work but this is also why it's IMPORTANT that the searcher take a few moments and think about where the material is coming from and who is producing it.

Mintz has assembled an all-star roster of experts to provide the reader with the information and skills needed to recognize, understand, and deal with web credibility and authority issues.

Reveals Hidden Deception, October 4, 2002
All people who use the web (and that is just about everyone these days) should read this book. It reveals hidden attempts at deception by individuals and groups that hope to purposely mislead. The contributers to Mintz's book collectively remind web users that much on the web is reader beware.
"Web of Deception" provides a cautionary note, but doesn't resort to all out scare tactics. Each chapter is well researched and uses many examples to illustrate purposeful deception by web sites. These contributors obviously know what they are talking about.
The many examples will be especially helpful for teachers and librarians who help others judge the authority and quality of web sites.

Vital to anyway using web-info!, October 5, 2002
This is an important collection of articles, written by people who have been leaders in analyzing information retrieval and content well before there was a web. This is an eye-opener
even for other experienced information professionals but it is especially important for people who are relying on the web as their source of personnel and professional information.

Rather than scaring folks from using the web, this book is an incredibly useful tool in helping individuals, other researchers, teachers, and business people to use the web more effectively.

Thanks to Anne Mintz and her colleagues for publishing this book and thanks to her employer for supporting her efforts in making us all more responsbile users of web information.

This is just another book capitalizing on fear, October 1, 2002
I think the title of the book says it all. Yes, there is misinformation out there, but most savvy or even reasonable smart people see it for what it is. Books like this just further the fear that people have about using the Internet for research, and downplay the incredible contribution the Internet has made. This is a clear case of creating drama and "intrigue" to sell books. Shame on Anne Mintz and her fellow for contributors for creating their own "Web of Deception." And shame on Forbes Inc for using their weight to make it credible.

A most important book of the Cyber Age, February 13, 2003
"Web of Deception" is a wake-up call to adult on-line users of the Internet and arguably the most important book of the Cyber Age to date. Its focus is on the deliberate deceptions on the Net that can wreak havok on your health, privacy, investments, purchases, business decisions, and legal affairs.

Editor Mintz and her collegial experts wrote the book not to scare but to empower Internet users to take control. "Web of Deception" should be required reading for Internet users and in all computer classes. It can also be a valuable text in a course on the Dark Side of the Information Age.

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