Swiss and European researchers are working on algorithms to detect misinformation circulating on social media but caution that training machines to do the work is no easy task.

Misinformation hit international headlines in 2016, peaking with accusations that fake news on Facebook helped win Donald Trump the White House. After initially denying that false information had had an influence on voters, the world’s most popular social network began testing measures to limit the spread of hoaxes on its site.

From giants like Google to solitary tech nerds, others are also springing into action. Yet those who began studying the growth of misinformation well before the unexpected results of the American presidential election brought the problem to the fore caution that experts face an uphill battle against fake news.

“It’s a race between machines and people (fabricating information) for fun, political agenda or money,” says Kalina Bontcheva, a professor at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.

The work in this area by computer scientists like Bontcheva and news organisations, including swissinfo.ch, reveal just how difficult it is to actually limit the spread of lies and distortions on social media.

Detecting false information

CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a plan for curbing the spread of fake news on Facebook that includes “stronger detection … to improve our ability to classify misinformation.” Bontcheva likens technology that can do this to email spam filters. But its powers would likely be limited.

Fake news made in Switzerland

Fake news sites have cropped up in Switzerland but they are few in number and Linards Udris says their following and reach are also limited. One possible reason for this is the size of the country.

“For those who would want to make money (from fake news), it wouldn’t be possible” here, given the relatively small domestic market for news, says the media researcher at the University of Zurich.

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http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/verification_long-battle-ahead-to-curb-fake-news/42761342