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posted by n1 on Saturday November 19 2016, @11:52PM   Printer-friendly
from the so-when-does-real-news-become-fake-news dept.

Earlier this week Google announced that its advertising tools will soon be closed to websites that promote fake news, a policy that could cut off revenue streams for publications that peddle hoaxes on platforms like Facebook.

The Verge reports:

The decision comes at a critical time for the tech industry, whose key players have come under fire for not taking neccesary steps to prevent fake news from proliferating across the web during the 2016 US election. It's thought that, given the viral aspects of fake news, social networks and search engines were gamed by partisan bad actors intending to influence the outcome of the race.

What constitutes 'fake' news?
Who decides what is 'fake'?
Who is a 'partisan bad actor'?


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20 2016, @01:36PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20 2016, @01:36PM (#429893)

    (adapted from an anonymous /. comment that hit the nail on the head)

    If they want to ban fake news, they can start with fake stories like...

    Reports that Trump was racist to Mexicans when he said that smugglers were raping women.

    Reports that Trump's son's use of Pepe the Frog makes Trump a white supremacist.

    Reports that Clockmed Achmed had invented a clock and the school was racist, and not that the school was legally required to report him to the police for the felony he committed by making a hoax bomb or else they could be charged with misprision.

    Reports that Michael Brown had his hands up and was saying don't shoot.

    Reports that George Zimmerman had stalked and murdered Trayvon Martin.

    Reports that there was nothing at all to Benghazi and no reason to investigate.

    Reports that Muslims were mad about a movie about Mohammed and not celebrating the anniversary of 9/11 by showing their strength and attacking US embassies around the world.

    Reports that Huma Abedin had been vetted and there was nothing to suggest she had a connection to the Muslim Brotherhood when every member of her family was MB and their journal was funded by one of the first financiers of al-Qaeda.

    Reports that Peter King was racist for wanting to investigate al-Shabaab recruiting from within the United States.

    Reports that Hillary Clinton's email scandal was only about the use of a private server and not about putting classified SCIF and GAMMA data on unsecured systems, destruction of evidence, and lying to federal investigators.

    Reports that Gamergate was a harassment campaign.

    Reports that there is a Palestinian people under Israeli occupation.

    Reports that the 2nd Amendment gives the National Guard the right to bear arms.

    Reports that transgender rights are being violated by making them use the correct bathrooms or referring to them by their real names or with the correct pronouns.

    All of this is fake news. All of it is equally as bad as the latest "report circulating in the Kremlin" that Sorcha Faal pulled out of his ass. If Google wants to ban fake news, why not start with all of this fake news that is published by the New York Times, Reuters, AP, Washington Post, ABC, etc?

    See also:

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20 2016, @05:59PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 20 2016, @05:59PM (#429972)

    Palestinians are not under Israeli occupation?