071 – Since the launch of blockchain technology in 2008, it has been used to a great extent for the development and growth of the cryptocurrency world. However, its use can go beyond the world of cryptos, since the various experts in the area are also looking for it to be used in everyday activities, including the world of news.

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With the exponential growth of social networks and especially their reach, there has been a greater connection between users around the world, thus achieving greater interaction between them and managing to keep abreast of national and international events; but we must not forget that it has also brought with it the spread of multiple false news and therefore generating false expectations in people.

That’s why for several years blockchain technology has been sought to be implemented in some media, in order to be able to observe the original source of the news and thus be able to conclude whether it is true or not. This highlights that blockchain technology goes beyond safeguarding data and providing transparency to financial operations, mainly in cryptocurrencies, but it can also become a very useful tool.

How does it detect fake news?

It is expected that blockchain technology will develop a system capable of recognizing the provenance of the text and even the source that is used, as this will provide an additional layer of transparency in the writing and publication of news articles.

While it is true that this method does not guarantee the non-publication of false news and/or its propagation, it can guarantee a mechanism by which the major media can verify the information and, therefore, when the news spreads there will be an official media that gives certainty of the published news.

Now, how can blockchain intervene in this process? In principle, there are several ways in which this process can be carried out. The use of digital seals through blockchain technology is intended, which consists of ensuring the inalterability of the data stored in the blockchain, in other words, it is guaranteed that the data in them cannot be altered once stored.

The digital seal is a Hash code that replicates the stored data and thereby creates a code which is unique and cannot be altered, thus anyone with access to the blockchain can verify the veracity of the data.

This process seeks to encourage not only the media, but also journalists that the published articles have a high degree of research and, therefore, veracity in the stories. Nowadays it is very common to see fake news or even the famous “sensationalist” news, so the process of digital seals would be a way to avoid miscommunication in the media.

However, this process does not guarantee that fake news will cease to exist, but it does guarantee an additional filter to the editorials and to guarantee quality work prior to the publication of articles of national and international interest.

Implementation limitations

Blockchain technology has enormous potential, as its importance and use go beyond the use of cryptocurrencies, it can become a very valuable tool to avoid misinformation in the media and social networks; however, its implementation has limitations today.

And is that the verification of the authenticity of the news in the blockchain can be a slow and costly process, so today not all media can afford the “luxury”, although it is something extremely necessary and has not yet been fully developed, at first it will not be affordable for everyone.

In addition, the creation of a digital seal for each news article requires time and is not as automatic as it is believed, so as a consequence it will generate a competition among the big media to publish the news first and be the ones who have the “endorsement” of authenticity of the news.

However, it is important to note that the digital seal does not verify by itself whether the information provided is true or false, today its scope is limited to the authenticity of the author and the content, in other words, it generates that the article is supported by a “verification”, but does not necessarily imply that the news is real.

However, despite the current limitations, one of the companies that has taken the initiative to explore this field is Orange, which has IBM as a partner and thus created the company “Block.Expert”.

This company ensures that any media worldwide can authenticate the news and thus generates a seal called “Safe.press”, which is the guarantee that the news has gone through a process of authentication through blockchain technology. Initially, this platform was only available for press articles published by Orange or through its official media.

With this, the company has started to walk the path towards seeking the implementation of blockchain technology with the media to fight against fake news, which can cause major upheavals worldwide, and it all stems from not authenticating the data or verifying the source of the information.

Source: veriti global
Media : veriti global
Writter: Franco Rubeis