FakeNews-"Detecting" Browser Extension to Tell You What Sites are Trustworthy or Not
The developer of AdBlock Plus, a popular ad blocker, is getting into the fakenews detection industry. Eyeo has developed a new product called TrustedNews that aims to tell users if a website they are on is trustworthy, biased or untrustworthy (i.e. "fakenews").
There are 3 categories:
- Trustworthy
This website or page publishes content based on facts and/or factual events and is therefore deemed trustworthy.
- Unknown
We cannot accurately evaluate this website or page due to insufficient data.
- Untrustworthy
This website or page knowingly publishes false and/or misleading information and is therefore deemed untrustworthy.
Source
It's onyly available as a Chrome extension, but more browser support will soon follow.
The extension will use an icon for telling you about the integrity of the site you're on. A green tick for trustworthy. If unsure, it will display a orange "B" for bias. If it's untrustworthy and voted on as an illegitimate source of information, then it gets a blue smiley face.
TrustedNews has big plans for telling users what's "fake news" and wha's "real news". They want to tap into the blockchain technology by integrating into the Ethereum chain with a built-in protocol to reward users who contribute. The database with use the MetaCert Protocol that will also issue MetaCert tokens for the rewards system.
For now, the extension will determine the integrity of a site based on four online sources: Wikipedia, PolitiFact, Meliss Zimdar's List, and Snopes. Ben Williams, TrustedNews's director of ecosystems, explained:
"For now the way that it works is that you have these sources... and what they will do is essentially give their rating on a particular site and then, basically, if everything isn't all the same — which they usually are — then you would just go by the [majority]."
Of course, we all know trusted Wikipedia can be, right, no control of information there, and especially Snopes who have also been outed as a bogus "fact"-emitting source.
Users will be able to vote on people's feedback about websites. Those with good feedback will be the top earners, they suggest. Those who are deemed as fraudsters will not earn, apparently.
Rewarding users to further "whitelist" certain information, and "blacklist" others with feedback, is problematic, as they can then get to influence and shape the minds of everyone one the web who limits themselves to not go to sources that others deem as "untrustworthy". They can just read feedback reviews taht earn the most as being a "trusted" review. We've seen how votes can be gamed on reddit and Steem. The "trending" posts are always the best quality, right?
"Good" content is supposed to be rewarded, but that fails when there is no measure and money or popularity becomes the overriding factor. People can simply vote for feedback that is blacklisting valid sites, and that becomes the most rewarded and determinant for what everyone gets to see as "trustworthy" or "untrustworthy" site.
Source
Wikipedia is already known to control a lot of information that gets listed, with editorial power groups that prevent certain information from getting out or certain pages from being page. I've seen it done with the topic "carnism". They wiped it out twice in the past in order to suppress the idea from being found on Wikipedia.
What do you think of this new tool to help int he fight against "fake news"?
Do you trust Wikipedia, Snopes and 2 other sources to tell you or others what to trust?
Anything not listed or not validated by 4 sites will be deemed either biased at best, or untrustworthy. Sits that contradict the mainstream news, or the establishment's narrative, will be deemed untrusted and therefore "fake" news.
It's a new tool to fight the information war and keep people from finding out what's really going on. Those who use this "tool" of manipulation will only be limiting their access to other sources of information and thereby their ability to think and question the world around them.
Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.
References: Adblock Plus wants to use blockchain to call out fake news | Adblock Plus owner Eyeo launches browser extension to combat fake news | [AdBlock Plus Jumps Aboard the Blockchain to Spot Fake News](https://www.ccn.com/adblock-plus-jumps-aboard-the-blockchain-to-spot-fake-news/}
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Nice; people are obviously too stupid to be trusted to figure out who is trustworthy or not on their own.
It's a good thing that we have people like snopes and now tools like this to help ensure that nobody has to do any thinking for themselves.
LMAO :P Yup, why bother thinking when you can blindly trust spin-machines to sell lies as truth ;)
It is ludicrous to think that four sites can determine what is fake news and what is appropriate for readers. In addition, the term "fake news" has now been hijacked and no longer means anything, since it's being used by anyone who wishes to cast doubt on information.
"Fake news" was originally used by alternative news sources to point out false stories being pushed by the corporate mainstream news services. Now it's those same "news" outlets that cry, "Fake news!" when more truthful stories are being told. It's a mess. The alt media needs a new term.
Well said. Fake news means little, and is just a term to dismiss something like conspiracy theory.
Don't I know it! We truthers know which news is really fake, and where the conspiracies are really comin' from!
It’s funny that they list a ‘biased’ category when the websites listed are some of the most biased on the internet! What a load of crap; we should be the ones who personally determine these things not a group of elitist information mongerers.
Yup, you said it right :)
All you can do is establish "the wisdom of the crowds" and even that may be hard.
I think at the current stage it is very dangerous to trust any source and when you believe their labelling in fake news you are trusting them.
Without new advances in technology the only solution that remains is: Make everything public, trust nobody
Yeah, but crowd wisdom can easily be wrong and fooled.
Oh, great to hear this initiative because the basic problem which we face in current scenario or in past is alteration of data and news and reflecting or showing the false as truth for personal agenda and in intention to mislead people.
Many people depend upon the censorship news but they are not aware about the censorship and they blindly follow the media outlets and news writers and most of the people easily get influenced.
Nowadays we are surrounded with lot of evil and cruel politics and most of the aspects are biased and these politics work as per agenda and people most of the time get into trap and they easily stand at influenced stage.
So, we need more non censorship news and media platforms to give true information to the common people because news is one aspect which can influence the lives of people so it should not come under censorship.
Thanks for sharing this post with us and wishing you an great day. Stay blessed. 🙂
Yes, we are facing Orwellian times, where the data can be altered and fit to the "party" line, censoring what is really happening :/
Yes.
If it doesn't mark CNN dot com as questionable, then we know this extension has failed.
Nah, that's a highly trustworthy site ;)
DUMP GOOGLE CHROME NOW!! It is rot gut for your intellect and dangerous to your overall health! Thanks for the warning, krnel. You da man!
I thankfully dumped it after I learned that they access the microphone on our phones and tablets. No thanks!
Kudos to you!
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Thanks for sharing I’ll be looking into this extension. As for your mentioning of Wikipedia suppressing certain topics, that’s the primary reason I have switched over to everipedia as an alternative.
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