Misinformation Spreads Rapidly After Subway Attack
False Claims Circulate Online
It took police more than a week to publicly identify Debrina Kawam, 57, as the woman who was fatally set on fire in a New York subway train last month. But on the internet, it took just hours for a false name to begin spreading.
The Spread of Misinformation
In posts that circulated widely on social media after Kawam’s death on Dec. 22, users claimed without evidence that the victim was a 29-year-old named “Amelia Carter.” These posts ricocheted across platforms, often accompanied by an image of a young woman that experts say may have been generated by artificial intelligence.
The Rationale Behind the Misinformation
It’s not clear who first made up the claim or why. But many sharing it highlighted the immigration status of the man charged in Kawam’s death — federal immigration officials say he is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally — while accusing the media of refusing to name the “beautiful young white woman.”
The Power of Misinformation
Nathan Walter, an associate professor at Northwestern University who studies misinformation, said the story was “manna from heaven” for anti-immigration narratives and that it became a “framing war” while the public sought information that was not yet available.
The Difficulty in Stopping the Spread of Misinformation
"It spreads quickly because it just fits so well," he said of misinformation about the victim’s identity. "And when something fits so well, we typically just tend to nod along and we don’t really question it."
The Impact of Misinformation
Graphic footage of Kawam engulfed in flames spread widely online soon after the Dec. 22 attack, boosting curiosity about her identity. But while a suspect, Sebastian Zapeta, was arrested later that day, scant details were available about the victim in the following days as authorities worked to identify her through forensics and video surveillance.
The Aftermath of Misinformation
As the falsehood spread, some began sharing a photo of a real Amelia Carter, who then had to post on social media that she was “alive and well.” The initial image shared in many of these posts had signs of being created by a generative adversarial network — a type of AI that can be used for creating images of fake people that are difficult to distinguish from the real thing.
Conclusion
The rapid spread of misinformation in the aftermath of the subway attack highlights the ease with which false information can spread and the challenges in stopping it. As experts note, the public’s desire for rapid answers can often lead to a lack of patience for the "uncomfortable moment" where information is not yet available, leaving the door open for misinformation to spread.
FAQs
Q: What was the name of the woman who was fatally set on fire in a New York subway train?
A: Debrina Kawam, 57.
Q: Who was arrested in connection with the attack?
A: Sebastian Zapeta, a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally.
Q: What was the false name that circulated online?
A: "Amelia Carter".
Q: How did the misinformation spread?
A: Through social media, often accompanied by an image of a young woman that experts say may have been generated by artificial intelligence.
Q: What was the significance of the immigration status of the suspect?
A: Many sharing the false information highlighted the immigration status of the suspect, accusing the media of refusing to name the “beautiful young white woman”.
