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DEF CON 26 - Svea, Suggy, Till - Inside the Fake Science Factory

DEFCONConference · talk · Watch on YouTube

Media, journalism & propagandaScientific method & science communicationSecurity & hacking

What it is

A DEF CON 26 talk by investigative journalists and hackers on the fake science industry, with bogus conferences and predatory journals that give studies false credibility. It draws on a large investigation into the money behind them.

Why Hacker News recommends it

Recommended as a funny but depressing investigation, and the usual link in threads on predatory publishing and fake citations.

  • 5 people recommended it
  • 6 different months
  • 4 strong recommendations
  • first 2018, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “First you'll laugh. And then you'll weep for humanity!”

    Funny but depressing investigation of fake science industry

    ArtWomb, 2018-12 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: Best talks of 2018?”

  2. “A must watch. Very funny, if depressing.”

    Investigation of huge network of fake conferences and journals

    yesenadam, 2019-01 · Strong recommendation · in “Most Published Research Findings Are False (2005)”

  3. “was fantastic and pretty funny as well”

    Fake science factory presentation

    captainkrtek, 2025-08 · Strong recommendation · in “Scientific fraud has become an 'industry,' analysis finds”

  4. “There was a fascinating Defcon 26 talk on "predatory publishing”

    Explains predatory publishing and how fake citations arise

    gtrubetskoy, 2019-01 · Recommendation · in “The “phantom reference”: How a made-up article got almost 400 citations (2017)”

  5. “There is a very interesting DEFCON talk[1] called "Inside the fake science factory" about this.”

    Fake journal cycles used to validate dishonest research

    mablopoule, 2023-05 · Recommendation · in “A professor found her name on an article she didn’t write. Then it got worse”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: fake science, predatory journals, def con, academic fraud, investigative journalism

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