We study a model where a large number of citizens learn a hidden state
individually on an online platform. The platform receives news reports about the
state and imperfectly filters misinformation in the reports, triggering conflicts
about the value of the state among the citizens. We show that a platform
that faces an ethical concern to internalize conflict costs due to misinformation
could perversely aggravate conflicts. This cautionary observation highlights that
societal efforts to mitigate conflicts, such as investments in ethical algorithm,
public awareness campaigns, and government policies, are effective if and only
if their implementations are sufficiently aggressive.