Google To Introduce Dedicated FACT CHECK Card in Redesign to Help Combat "Fake Nooz"
Well, Google has made plans to save us from the evil world of alternative media and independent journalism once again. This time teamed up with your favorite two fact checkers snopes and politifact, those pillars of truth an unbiased information.
In the newest rendition of Google News you will see a card to the right hand side with links to fact checked articles (but only by the above mentioned fact checkers), and also under each article some nice suggestive labels such as "most referenced" and "opinion". Why play coy, Google? Shouldn't those tags read "trusty main stream media" and "lying alt-right journo-fascists"?
Maybe in the next update...
Written by Metanoia
Image courtesy of pixabay.com
Source: www.blog.google/topics/journalism-news/redesigning-google-news-everyone/
That's a good idea. Indeed, there are too many content farms on the Internet and people widely spread those false informations to others will discourage the growth of agents which are providing accurate news. So it will be great for tech giants like Google and Facebook to take the initiative to use AI for screening out false stories from
I still don't understand this fact news hysteria. Has there been proof of fake news significantly altering voter opinion for the worst? Having these large powerful authorities tell you what's the Truth seems extremely dystopian. The internet was founded on the basis of freedom of speech and dissemination of information. It should be assumed people are smart enough to determine what's propaganda/fake and what's not. If you have large and powerful entities dictating what's the Truth, then they effectively become the internet police and then the question becomes when will the regulators become the propagandists...
See, but that's the key to all of it "It should be assumed people are smart enough to determine what's propaganda/fake and what's not." This is an incorrect assumption. Most of the populace is definitely NOT able to determine what qualifies as propaganda. How do you think these huge media outlets get away with the blatant misinformation that is often put out. Oh, and I'm pretty sure we've already moved into a dystopian society. People just haven't looked up from their screens long enough to notice.
Yeah but you can't base your society off the fact that everyone is a dumbass, then why give ppl freedom if you assume they're not going to make the right decisions for themselves? Following that line of logic you might as well have the "smart" guys dictate your every move... Freedom comes with certain costs but you really do have to put trust in ppl or the system will change from freedom to enslavement...
I think you misinterpret my position. I don't advocate for the curtailment of individual rights in the least. I am against the censorship of the individuals that will be labeled with the "opinion" tags and those that will be supposedly fact checked by partisan groups. This is a continued successful attempt to manipulate the perception of the populace that is uninformed, but I stand for the rights of "dumbasses" everywhere that choose to be uninformed. I am highlighting the ethics of corporate sponsored propaganda and censorship and how it infringes on the rights of the uninformed by suppressing alternate views. To put in simpler terms, if Google has a virtual monopoly on all online information they also have a duty of impartiality.
Yup on the statement "I am highlighting the ethics of corporate sponsored propaganda and censorship and how it infringes on the rights of the uninformed by suppressing alternate views. To put in simpler terms, if Google has a virtual monopoly on all online information they also have a duty of impartiality." I completely agree and its the essence of my argument as well. You just put it very succinctly. I do not trust large corporations/entities from dictating what information gets to us or telling us what is right. This is a very slippery slope. Even if Google's intentions are well it does not setup a good foundation for the future. What if Google one day came to have "evil" management and turned the trust of the people against them? People can't even vote on who governs Google and they essentially become a corrupt "government" and Big Brother...
To a large degree that has already occurred. Google chose to actively support a presidential candidate while suppressing information favorable to other candidates. They change and alter their algorithm when unwanted results occur. More and more Google seems to be acting as a private sector government contractor. Sometimes you can attribute things to chance or human error, other times you need to stare the reality of the situation in the face and decide to accept the obvious truth of the matter.
By the way, really enjoy this level-headed discussion. I generally avoid debates online because of how nasty it can get sometimes but this is a refreshing change. Have some steem :)
I agree, since I've been on steemit I have yet to entice any other users into a comment stream. Thanks for being the first! And also I understand about the online conversation. I see a lot of comments on news sites that result in flaming. Give me a follow, if you like, and I'm working on getting the steem...
I agree with you. I think the current fear that government will become Big Brother is totally irrational. Corporations have the highest chance of being Big Brother. Government is too bloated by bureacratic nonsense and incompetence to enact any sort of evil on the population (besides of course using the police force or military but in a well-to-do society that risk is very low). Corporations on the other hand, ppl can't vote for who governs them and corporations run lean and efficient. They can make decisions on a whim and have a lot of influence on people...
This comment actually reminds me of the structure of the EU. They have incorporated the model perfected in the private sector into their uppermost hierarchy. At least as an American, I see it in this perspective.
One other thing, I am a big fan of the majority of their tech advancements and only use Android phones and tablets, but they have an invasive application suite baked into their Operating System. It can collect a bit too much information for my taste so I have to avoid using their products even though I want to. I can't trust them as an entity so I don't get to use the convenient features they created.
watch this turn into a pay to play or a biased google op. google dosnt do anything for free anymore.
I would have to agree with you there on the biased portion, but we have to remember that Google does work for the government all the time.
So does that make it ok for them to dub who and who doesn't have credible news? To me, I will be loaded just like anything else Google does.
Nope, not at all. They should allow search results to be displayed organically, not manipulate the search results or label individuals that contribute to views they disagree with.
I think it would be advantageous to fact check the "Fact checkers" where possible. We're fighting a monster, but staying consistent is key. We also need to make sure we're being as honest as possible too. It's important that we never knowingly produce fake news ourselves.