Communications of the ACM
Reality Checker: How to Cut Nonsense From the Net
TruthGoggle's Dan Schultz
Credit: bcniphilly.com
Several organizations are developing technologies that can prevent falsehoods from spreading on the Internet.
The tools are designed to flag errors in online content before they spread to a mass audience. For example, one organization has developed PolitiFact, a program that pays journalists to analyze 35 political statements a week, awarding each a Truth-o-Meter rating from "true" to "pants-on-fire." FactSpreaders aims to integrate PolitiFact's checks into Twitter.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers have developed TruthGoggles, a browser extension that alerts users when they come across questionable statements on the Internet. Another tool is called Hypothes.is, software that allows for the annotation of almost any assertion online. Hypothes.is also includes a browser extension that enables users to place layers of annotations onto a Web page. Hypothes.is will begin by focusing on a specific type of content, such as legislative documents or scientific papers. The tool involves a sophisticated ranking system that prioritizes insightful annotations.
From New Scientist
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2012 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
No entries found