Front Burner

What an Omar Khadr Google search warns us about misinformation online

This week, a Google search result listing Omar Khadr as a Canadian soldier gained a lot of traction online, inciting anger from many people, including Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer.
A recent Google search result listing Omar Khadr as a Canadian soldier incited lots of anger online, including from Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

"I think it's really difficult to even get a handle sometimes on how these things spread."

This week, a Google search result listing Omar Khadr as a Canadian soldier gained a lot of traction online, inciting anger from many people, including Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer. CBC technology reporter Matt Braga tracks how the former Guantanamo Bay detainee showed up in the search in the first place and how easily misinformation can become politicized.​

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