Renée DiResta, researcher: ‘The problem is not misinformation, but people who only want information that makes them feel comfortable and happy’
This online manipulation specialist has been subject to harassment for her work. She has published a book to explain how to deal with these challenges
Renée DiResta, 43, researches online manipulation and harassment at Georgetown University. She previously worked as an analyst at Stanford University’s celebrated Internet Observatory. But in 2022, she watched as a fabricated theory claiming that Joe Biden had stolen the 2020 election from Trump went viral. Months later, DiResta herself became the target of disinformation for her work. Conspiracy theories and legal threats led Stanford to decide to close the Internet Observatory.
