“No moderator or autonomous system will ever be completely infallible, so while those in power continue to pursue these overarching solutions, for now we must all be on guard against disinformation and approach news with a healthy dose of skepticism,” writes David Ingham, Digital Partner, Media & Entertainment.

Excerpts from Computer Weekly’s article, reproduced with permission:

“Many internet browsers and social media companies, as the unwitting hosts of fake news, have been forced to take on a new responsibility to combat the dissemination of false information. Their efforts fall broadly into two camps: automation and moderation. Each comes with its challenges.

Moderation ultimately relies on a human workforce – in many cases, former journalists whose objectivity and balance should be reliable. But the system is fallible because it leaves room for personal biases and perspectives.

Given the scale of the issue, automation and AI are seen by many as the best way to tackle fake news. However, like moderation, any AI assessment tool is underpinned by human-written rules, meaning decisions are potentially subject to the unconscious biases of its designers – so an automated response will not always be effective.

More collaboration across governments, social media platforms and internet browsers is needed in combining efforts to combat the proliferation of fake news, possibly through identifying the IP addresses of known perpetrators.”

Click here to read more.