Fact-checkers alone can’t curb fake news

As the proliferation of disinformation on social media platforms has given rise to a new breed of fact checkers, their efforts may not be enough to counter the impact of fake news during the course of the general election.

Face-checking website Alt News, for example, recently checked the authenticity of a letter notifying people to abstain from using Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Instagram to share political propaganda posts before the 2019 elections.

Circulated under the name of “Crime Prevention Council of India”, many users assumed that it was a government order.

Alt News found that Crime Prevention Council of India was actually a nongovernmental organisation which said it did not issue the notice.

Will the corrected fact reach as many people as the original notice which was shared by social media users thinking that it was a government order?

The answer is a clear “no” as research suggests that people are more willing to share fake news than accurate news - a major factor that helps disinformation spread faster, deeper.

Several social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and China-based TikTok are collaborating with third-party fact checkers - mainly to ensure that disinformation shared on their platforms do not lead to real world harm or physical injury to people.

Govindraj Ethiraj, Founder, BOOM told IANS that even though fact checkers have not been able to curb the menace of fake news on social media platforms, they have been greatly successful in reducing spread of fake news by influencers.