In a bid to combat fake news, researchers at the MIT’s CSAIL and Qatar’s Computing Research Institute have built an artificially intelligent system that is capable of scanning not the news per say, but its source to identify for falsehood.
The AI, which is still under development, uses machine learning algorithm which has been trained using Media Bias/Fact Check’s analysis of over 2,000 news outlets to look for the linguistic cues of sites that push fake or distorted news, Engadget reported.
Additionally, the machine learning approach is also capable of drawing links between a site’s authenticity and its Wikipedia page or web addresses. However, the system is not perfect yet, and can only detect accuracy with 65 percent effectiveness and bias with 70 percent.
In India, Facebook’s WhatsApp is working closely with Reliance Jio to spread awareness of false messages, weeks after the Indian telecoms operator opened up the messaging service to tens of millions of customers using its cheap internet-enabled phone.
Jio gave its more than 25 million JioPhone customers, many of them first-time internet users, access to WhatsApp at a time when the messaging service is battling false and incendiary texts and videos circulating on its platform. Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani launched the JioPhone last year at a refundable deposit of 1,500 rupees ($20.60). The device is internet enabled but didn’t initially allow the use of WhatsApp or have several popular smartphone features.
More than 30 people have died this year in mob violence triggered by vitriolic messages on social media and WhatsApp, according to unofficial estimates, and police have previously told Reuters that minorities have been targeted in some remote and rural regions. That has prompted New Delhi to call on WhatsApp to take immediate action to “end this menace”. WhatsApp has already taken some steps to quell the rise of fake news. It has launched print and radio ad campaigns to educate users and introduced new features on the app including limiting message forwards as well as the labelling of forwarded messages.
READ MORE: WHATSAPP TAKES HELP OF RESEARCHERS TO COMBAT PROPAGANDA
(With inputs from ANI)
