'Fact Checking' Built Into the Internet Itself

a reply to: dug88


"Currently, the researchers have developed a browser extension that will display a small shield next to certified content with metadata about the content available to end users."

So, can the absence of the 'Shield of Truth' be ignored by the Reader? The implication being the Reader chooses not to accept the 'certified story'. Whats so different from today?

Good only I reckon for press release type stuff, which is useful for provenance, but is never assumed to be the whole story - and its this uncertified remainder thats the guts of the story.

I imagine Firefox will be getting this extension as a built in feature soon.

a reply to: Doxanoxa

The extension was just an example application of the technology. The real technology is the backend api that the extension uses and the media signing key database system. This gives apps, websites and developers access to the same metadata used to create the shield to embed how they choose into their application.

The metadata being a database of signed 'officially' approved media. Media meaning, possibly every picture, video and audio file on the internet. Official meaning, organizations like the associated press and other large corporate media type companies. Approved meaning they can tag every single piece of media as being true or untrue.

The possibilities with such metadata are fairly endless. I gave a few examples in my op. Another commenter mentioned embedding it in aws. This goes beyond a browser extension by far. This is something that could even be built into the firmware of routers should companies choose to do so.

An example similar to one in my op, cloudflare automatically flagging any IP that uploads unapproved media as spam. Instant ban from a huge majority of websites.