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Microsoft and WhatsApp Try to Stop Fake News
Microsoft is trying to fight fake news with its Edge mobile browser [theverge.com]
Microsoft has started warning users of its Edge mobile browser about untrustworthy news sites. The software giant has partnered with NewsGuard to provide warnings in its Edge browser for iOS and Android, and this functionality has been added this week as an optional setting. NewsGuard was founded by journalists Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz, and rates sites based on a variety of criteria [newsguardtech.com] including their use of deceptive headlines, whether they repeatedly publish false content, and transparency regarding ownership and financing.
Microsoft first started offering an optional NewsGuard browser extension [microsoft.com] for Edge on the desktop version of Windows 10 last year, but the move to build this directly into the mobile version suggests the company may be looking to make this a core part of Edge in the future. The Guardian reports [theguardian.com] that Edge mobile is now warning users that the Daily Mail's website, Mail Online, "generally fails to maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability."
WhatsApp Tries To Curb Misinformation, And Annoying Aunts And Uncles [npr.org]
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world. With about 1.5 billion users, it's a free way to text and place international voice and video calls.
But recently the platform, which is owned by Facebook, has faced accusations of being used to spread misinformation — with serious consequences. Last year in India, rumors spread mostly on WhatsApp led to mob killings [npr.org]. In the run-up to Brazil's recent elections, misinformation and conspiracy theories [reuters.com] also went viral on the messaging app.
WhatsApp is now limiting the number of people users can forward messages to, to five. [...] WhatsApp "carefully evaluated this test and listened to user feedback over a six-month period," a company spokesperson told NPR. "The forward limit significantly reduced forwarded messages around the world. We'll continue to listen to user feedback about their experience, and over time, look for new ways of addressing viral content."
