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blockchain disinformation

How one high-tech solution is helping fight fake news

  • min read
    • As ways to create and disseminate disinformation get more sophisticated and widely available, it's getting harder to tell fact and fiction. But the next version of the internet, Web3, might offer a 'force field' that could protect citizens from this troubling phenomenon. Start-ups and established media companies are using blockchain as part of solutions that aim to verify information and filter out false news. Is this what the world needs now, or could it open the door to even more disinformation? Fakes harder to tell from reality "There's huge money and huge power in fake news. We've seen it here in the US and around the world," says Jim Nasr, CEO of blockchain developer Acoer. Acoer created blockchain-based news platform NewsHash. Disinformation can have far-reaching and sometimes dangerous impacts. We saw this over the pandemic years especially, with rampant covid-related medical disinformation. Tommaso Canetta, vice director of Italian fact-checking agency Pagella Politica, says how false news spreads is "ever-changing. It can [come from] and go in every direction – from traditional to online media to politicians, or the other way around." A 2020 Reuters report found over 56 percent of internet users are worried if they can tell fake from real online. And 'deepfakes' – highly realistic looking audio, video and photos created using AI – further muddy the waters. A technological solution for filtering out fakes? Blockchain could create a 'built-in truth index' for the internet, effectively labeling and verifying each piece of information, creating a sort of watermark for authenticity. Used the right way, this could help people be sure news and media they receive are real. But it's complicated. Using blockchain in journalism might solve some problems but create others. For example, it may trigger more sophisticated disinformation, poor transparency or a single company like Meta (formerly Facebook) dominating the industry. What is blockchain? Blockchain stores information as blocks added in chronological order to a virtual 'chain,' stored securely and permanently. Once added to the chain, blocks are hard to change. Well-known blockchain platforms like Bitcoin and Ethereum use it to store financial transaction information, but the technology can also store and distribute news. Blockchain-based news platforms provide a secure and decentralized way to store verified information, which cannot be changed – like putting a digital watermark on verified news stories. Initiatives like the now-defunct Civil for journalism, Steemit for social media and Truepic for photo and video let publishers permanently link verified information to content in a blockchain. New York Times is also developing a blockchain-news platform, News Provenance Project. Fighting a powerful form of disinformation, miscaptioning – real photos or videos described in misleading ways – the project uses blockchain to permanently attach context (like who shot the film or image, when and where) to media. Acoer's NewsHash works by giving an article an encrypted hash (a unique string of characters) containing metadata added by the publisher, like the author's name and a publication identification number. "If the article changes in any way – even the most minuscule change – we can tell," says CEO Nasr. "And all in real-time." Readers can scan a QR code, which consults the blockchain to check whether an article or video is real. Nasr's company also assigns 'confidence scores,' rating information's authenticity. But while blockchain-based platforms can help protect against doctored images or false news pretending to be from a reputed source, they may also create new problems. But what's further up the chain? Technologies chasing a disinformation-free internet can backfire by encouraging more sophisticated disinformation or offering different versions of 'the truth.' Nasr says there are blind spots when publishing a completed news article on the blockchain because there are many places data can come from. The immutable nature of blockchain also means it may become harder to correct inadvertent errors in published material, making journalism as a whole seem like a less trustworthy source. Another issue is the potential for centralization – a single platform or business may start to dominate the news. "It's easy for an AI algorithm or company to become a centralized location for everything. It's like the internet – the idea is great, but we now have four companies [Meta, Amazon, Apple and Google] dominating it," says Nasr. "That's why we use a public ledger, instead of specific tools or proprietary algorithms, to [let readers] interrogate how we're getting there." The first and second lines of defense aren't technology With advances in AI, video and image editing software, tools for spreading disinformation will improve. Deepfake videos have already fooled internet users many times. "With the progress of fact-checking and technological tools to fight disinformation, we'll also see more complex disinformation," says Canetta. There's also a paradox in journalism requiring trust, while blockchain seeks to eliminate the need for trust. "Journalism is built around gatekeeping. You need someone to approve a story before it goes online – a hierarchy or system in place to ensure quality," says Walid Al-Saqaf, former journalist and senior lecturer in media technology and journalism at Södertörn University, Sweden. "But the notion of Bitcoin and the original blockchain was that you don't need trust." Canetta believes awareness and media literacy are the first and second lines of defense in fighting disinformation. He feels blockchain journalism isn't a silver bullet because "misinformation is not just an online phenomenon. We must teach school children that while they have access to unlimited information, not all of it is true or accurate." Using blockchain to secure other information Decentralized platforms like blockchain have many applications, like more secure communication between organizations, facilitating payroll and making auditing easier. Start-ups are working on blockchain systems that authenticate supply chains, enable digital voting, create and implement smart contracts and more. Within companies, blockchain can help secure data and make sure digital communications aren't altered. But it's not failsafe. For example, an unauthorized user can access a blockchain with a stolen password. And although it would require significant resources, it's possible to take over a whole blockchain and force a change. As blockchain evolves, so will ways to hack into it. Keeping systems updated and secure, and following security best practice will remain crucial to safer business.
how to spot hype

Many hats make light work: How to see the truth hidden by tech hype

  • min read
    • Hype is increasingly playing a big part in the worst decisions around technology. Investors and journalists alike fell for Elizabeth Holmes' shiny pitch for her non-existent blood testing technology Theranos. Fitness tracker Jawbone, once valued at 3 billion US dollars, was among several wearable tech firms to go spectacularly belly-up as it became clear the market wasn't as expected. Seeing past puffed-up narratives and getting to the core of claims means making more informed decisions around technology, investing in the most promising next steps and building a business strategy with concrete foundations. You needn't necessarily wade through the mountains of information we're faced with every day to spot hype. As a science and tech journalist and advisor for Innovate UK and the European Commission on start-up funding, my job is to work out what's hype and what's not. Here are six ways to hone your critical thinking and better understand the complexity, adapted from my recent book, Smoke and mirrors: How hype obscures the future and how to see past it. 1. Understand what hype is for Most people think hype is a bad thing, and it can be a problem in that it sends us along the wrong path. But there's more to it. If 'consensual' fooling is what magicians do (you go to a magic show to be fooled,) 'non-consensual' fooling is lying. Hype could be considered 'accidental fooling' – the messages are not intended to misinform, but the person receiving them can easily get the wrong end of the stick. Hype is powerful. People use it because they're keen to get out what they think are important messages. They want to grab your attention. For example, government health guidelines intend to inform society. They might use hype to ensure people receive the message loud and clear. When you remember what hype is for, you may see a message differently. Ask yourself why the communicator might use hype. Are they trying to sell something, convince you to change your behavior or to expose a problem? Think about why and how the message got in front of you when interpreting it. 2. Find the nuance Many headlines and start-up pitches include absolute statements, like "AI will revolutionize health" or "robots will replace farmers." Statements like these are shortcuts to establish a jumping-off point. They're not necessarily false and normally contain a trace of truth, but they miss out a lot in their simplicity. To find the nuance, say to yourself, "Well, it depends." You're not denying another's expertise but getting yourself into a questioning state. When you start from a place of "Well, it depends," your mind can better explore scenarios that test the statement. For example, "It depends what kind of job I have as to whether a robot will replace me." Just three words can open your mind to nuance in absolute statements. 3. Look for your fanaticism If you work in tech, you're probably a techno-optimist: Someone who believes technology is a force for good. We wouldn't have much innovation without this excitement and optimism, but we need to be conscious of where our excitement turns into fanaticism. Emotional desire can blind us to the reality of societal impact. We can build and promote things that may be harmful to those unlike us. It's more than putting ourselves into other people's shoes; it's taking a step back and asking, "Do we need this?" We know technologies can evolve and lead to related industries, becoming a problem over time. We should ask ourselves these questions in the development process to prevent unintended consequences down the line. Another question to prompt this thinking is, "If this technology were to grow in mainstream adoption, what would be the dystopian science fiction novel written about it?" 4. Wear more hats Searching for the right or wrong answer is hard when faced with a complex question like, "Is AI good or bad?" There's a lot to consider. You need to 'map' the full system of ideas somehow, know the different scenarios in which the question must be answered and draw a conclusion. A simple way to start gathering the nodes is to wear different hats, one by one. Put on your own hat. What does the question mean in your personal life or business? Then put on your supplier or your management team's hats: What does it mean in theirs? Then consider working in a country not your own, in a different industry or being someone working 50 years in the future. This is a way to remove your blinkers and so, see past the hype. 5. Work out what's curbing action Hype can make people think someone else is solving things, so they don't need to do anything. For example, in the food industry, hype around vertical farms and lab-grown meat lets us 'off the hook' of changing their habits. The 'tech will save us' mentality stops us making more considered decisions about what we eat today. We can also work out, beyond the narratives laid in front of us, what fears or cultural tendencies build ideas in peoples' minds they're unwilling to confront. For example, the phrase "We'll find a cure for cancer" exudes hope, tenacity and courage. But it also shields fear that we still have far to go, and, of course, fear of death. This fear and, in some cultures, the taboo against talking about death, means it's become anathema to question those working in this field. It feels like doubting those on the front lines. Our trust rarely wavers. It's not necessarily a bad thing – many efforts in cancer therapeutics are successful – but when anything is culturally sacred and immune to criticism, much-needed constructive ideas are stifled. Consider the culture and public sentiment around the topic you're investigating. 6. Work out who is responsible right now Hype can sometimes give us narratives that relinquish our responsibility around technology. For example, "Robots will steal our jobs." It's an easily spread and understood idea, with an element of truth, but lacks important detail. If you take away the hyped narrative, realize it's a comment on the future of automation and rephrase it to "Company executives are going to choose to replace human jobs with robotic machinery," another element becomes clear. Instead of talking about Terminator storming in to claim your job or the technological singularity and when it might be achieved, immediate discussions around responsibility, decision-making and societal economics come to the fore. We need to work out who is involved in the technology's development right now and ensure their responsibility isn't hidden beneath simplified, hyped narratives. While decision-making in business is often the hardest part of the job, spotting hype in technology – and so preventing yourself and your business from succumbing to it – needn't be difficult. When you next come across a headline you think may be hyped, following these steps will help you make better decisions.
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