Getting the story straight: Blockchain to curb fake news
Rather than responding to existing fake news, this solution prevents imposters, a type of fake news story that appears to be from a legitimate news agency. With the United States Presidential Election set for next month, the concern over fake news has once again dominated public discourse. Fake news — the deliberate spreading of verifiably false information under the disguise of being an authentic news story — not only undermines the public’s confidence in the free press, it inflames social conflict, can result in health hazards (like swallowing bleach in an attempt to avoid COVID-19),....
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True or False? The Chinese government intends to curb capital outflow by cracking down on Bitcoin trading. A couple of days ago news reports about the Chinese government’s decision to crackdown on Bitcoin trading to curb capital outflow started making rounds. The news created panic among Bitcoin traders, leading to a sudden slump in the digital currency’s price. The cryptocurrency which was trading at around $730s suddenly fell below the $700 mark. The report of China tightening its screws around Bitcoin transactions as a part of its capital control measure is a plausible story. However,....
Blockchain technology implemented in the media industry will help to prevent fake news from spreading. Fact-checking agencies are in charge of verifying facts and claims in the news that may be distorted in the process of rewriting or for any political purposes. The news text may consist of truthful information written in a neutral format peculiar to the news, but one sentence may contain a false fact or claim whose origin is unknown. In addition, the state itself has begun to produce false information, as was the case with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s famous Twitter account.The....
"The shitpost is mightier than the thinkpiece." That's a quote a friend says he saw in the news once, though I can't find it. He swears he didn't make it up. But it's not out there on the Internet it seems, and if it is, it's lost in the millions of tweets, texts and tumblrs. That's the way the truth is these days, lost in the pages upon pages upon pages... It's concerning, this degradation of truth that has come as content has migrated from newsprint to digital platforms. Just because something seems (or sounds) true doesn't mean it is. Like the quote, fact-based content seems....
Tech powerhouse and early blockchain developer IBM is reportedly in talks with the Kenyan government to put public records from various sectors on a blockchain. According to regional publication Business Daily Africa, IBM is looking to transform public records’ management by introducing blockchain technology in the fields of health, education and real estate. The Kenyan Ministry of Information and Communication is for the plan, noting that information stored over a public, immutable ledger will help curb fake academic certificates as well as fraudulent land transactions. Speaking at the....
It's the first of April, and while I don't particularly care to spend an hour making up a story that will probably fail to make you laugh, I leave the deed to Zappos.com, who's April Fools' Day joke is worth mentioning. Just in case you've been living under a rock, Zappos.com is a huge online shoe and clothing store. The company posted a breaking news story that may appeal to bitcoin fans: The company says it'll be issuing refunds for returns in bitcoin. CEO Tony Hsieh broke the news in front of the company's Customer Loyalty Team to silence and a few coughs. One employee jumped up in....