Pass It Please
From relatives that make crazy claims in Whatsapp groups to noisy friends on your Facebook timeline who never heard the concept of validated information. Our screens are filled with fake news and those who spread them don’t even know the impact of their careless actions. They usually simply ask you to “Pass It Please”.
It’s hard to blame our friends and relatives but, it’s even harder to confront them. Their actions come from a good place; they mostly want to warn us, inform us, let us know about threats because that’s what usually prompts them to share a post or forward a message. In many cases, they are spreading fake news unknowingly. But that’s how the scale gets so big, that’s how millions of people read the fake news about 5G and coronavirus on their Whatsapp groups within weeks.
It’s impossible to trace back and know the intentions of people who plant these claims in the first place, but it’s always the same result: muddy waters, confused masses and Facebook timelines, Whatsapp messages filled with garbage.
Takes Seconds To Fact Check
Most fact-checking tools today give back results for content written in English. But finally, Google’s Fact Check Explorer is generating results for content written in any language. It’s advised to use the tool by searching in your default browser language.
The mobile experience is quite smooth and results are aggregated by the use of many fact-checkers. Thanks to its wide reach, Google is able to aggregate so much content and present trustworthy results.
Background illustration: Photo by rcphotostock from Freepick / Freepick license