Microsoft Adds NewsGuard to Edge Browser for iOS to Warn Users of Untrustworthy Sites

[MacRumors]

Going forward, regular users of Microsoft's Edge mobile browser for iOS can opt to receive warnings when they visit untrustworthy news sites.

The company's browser is integrating NewsGuard, a green-red rating system founded by journalists Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz that evaluates websites using a set of criteria, including the use of deceptive headlines, fake news history, and financial and ownership transparency.

NewsGuard also provides "Nutrition Label" write-ups of more than 2,000 news and information sites that account for 96 percent of online engagement in the U.S. in English.

NewsGuard has existed for some time as an optional privacy extension for Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge desktop browsers, but Microsoft's decision to integrate it into its mobile browser as an optional setting signals a growing concern for preventing users' exposure to purveyors of false or misleading news or disinformation online. A Microsoft spokesperson said:

"Microsoft is partnering with NewsGuard to offer the NewsGuard browser extension on Microsoft Edge, and a feature in Microsoft Edge mobile apps for iOS and Android to help our customers evaluate news sources. Across both the browser and the apps, NewsGuard is optional and customers need to take action if they want to use the feature."

As an example of NewsGuard's yardstick for untrustworthiness, The Guardian reports the Edge mobile is now warning users that the Daily Mail's website, Mail Online, "generally fails to maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability" and "has been forced to pay damages in numerous high-profile cases." Visitors to Russia's state-sponsored RT News website receive a similar warning.

Responding to NewsGuard's warning, a Daily Mail spokesperson provided MacRumors with the following statement:

"We have only very recently become aware of the NewsGuard start-up and are in discussions with them to have this egregiously erroneous classification resolved as soon as possible."

NewsGuard's Steven Brill told The Guardian it takes full responsibility for its ratings. "They can blame us. And we're happy to be blamed," he said. "Unlike the platforms we're happy to be accountable. We want people to game our system. We are totally transparent. We are not an algorithm."

(Via The Verge.)

Article Link: Microsoft Adds NewsGuard to Edge Browser for iOS to Warn Users of Untrustworthy Sites

 

[MacManiac1]

This is good for the three people who will use Edge. ;-)

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

This won’t fix the problem. People choose what to believe or not based on their preconceived world view.

If they don’t like the content of an article and NewsGuard labels it as fraud, people will cite NewsGuard as why not to trust it.

If they do like the article, they’ll ignore NewsGuard calling it flawed, or be angry at NewsGuard, calling it biased.

Don’t like an article but NewsGuard says it’s true? NewsGuard is wrong.

 

[kaz911]

Newsguard is not objective - it is rated by humans and seems like most humans have a LOT of bias these days.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

This is good for the three people who will use Edge. ;-)

Also good for those of us who read the article and are installing the extension.

Edit: Never mind. They gave Faux News a green light, so they apparently don't actually do their stated purpose of warning you of untrustworthy sites. #uninstalled

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Also good for those of us who read the article and are installing the extension.

Edit: Never mind. They gave Faux News a green light, so they apparently don't actually do their stated purpose of warning you of untrustworthy sites. #uninstalled

*sigh*

Yeah. Any attempt at this kind of plugin is utterly pointless, because people are only looking for something that confirms what they already believe. Absolutely no point in it.

I'm not saying Fox is trustworthy, but that you have an immediate knee jerk reaction like that to anything it says means that it's hopeless. Not you. Humanity. Our brains just aren't wired to handle things we disagree with. It's amazing. Social media has to have the ability to block people - people just can't deal with the possibility that there are differing opinions.

It's shocking that Democracy or civilization works at all with such tribalism.

 

[Billrey]

I wonder if it will block the New York Times then, who participated in the lie that Saddam has WMD’s which was a blatant lie.
[doublepost=1548254196][/doublepost]

*sigh*

I'm not saying Fox is trustworthy, but that you have an immediate knee jerk reaction like that to anything it says means that it's hopeless

It’s a valid question. The question is, are they favoring the truth, or are they favoring the MSM? Pretty much all the corporate MSM networks have participated in various lies over the last decades. If this kind of thing would warn against untrustworthy news outlets, it should warn users of Fox News, MSNBC, NYT etc - but I bet it does not.

 

[macduke]

Unfortunately we now live in a post-truth society. I don’t know how to fix it—but I do know that it is not sustainable.

 

[now i see it]

So will Drudge report crash it?

 

[NightFox]

Amusing to see that it did actually blacklist the Daily Mail, one of the UK's most popular tabloid newspapers.

 

[Morgenland]

Censorship tools can never compensate the lack of education and knowledge in the population.
Nice try.
Crazy method.

To distinguish truth from bad, one should understand and experience the diversity of the world and its people.
The ambivalence of this diversity cannot be portrayed by consumption of popcorn media.
So simple.....

 

[Jimmy Bubbles]

Going forward, regular users of Microsoft's Edge mobile browser for iOS can expect to receive warnings when they visit untrustworthy news sites.

The company's browser is integrating NewsGuard, a green-red rating system founded by journalists Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz that evaluates websites using a set of criteria, including the use of deceptive headlines, fake news history, and financial and ownership transparency.

NewsGuard also provides "Nutrition Label" write-ups of more than 2,000 news and information sites that account for 96 percent of online engagement in the U.S. in English.

NewsGuard has existed for some time as an optional privacy extension for Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge desktop browsers, but Microsoft's decision to integrate it into its mobile browser signals a greater concern for preventing users' exposure to purveyors of false or misleading news or disinformation online.

As an example of NewsGuard's yardstick for untrustworthiness, The Guardian reports the Edge mobile is now warning users that the Daily Mail's website, Mail Online, "generally fails to maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability" and "has been forced to pay damages in numerous high-profile cases." Visitors to Russia's state-sponsored RT News website receive a similar warning.

NewsGuard's Steven Brill told The Guardian it takes full responsibility for its ratings. "They can blame us. And we're happy to be blamed," he said. "Unlike the platforms we're happy to be accountable. We want people to game our system. We are totally transparent. We are not an algorithm."

(Via The Verge.)

Article Link: Microsoft Adds NewsGuard to Edge Browser for iOS to Warn Users of Untrustworthy Sites

Oh look, exactly what Alex Jones was talking about weeks ago. Hmmm…such conspiracy, much theory.

 

[Music Ambulance]

This won’t fix the problem. People choose what to believe or not based on their preconceived world view.

If they don’t like the content of an article and NewsGuard labels it as fraud, people will cite NewsGuard as why not to trust it.

If they do like the article, they’ll ignore NewsGuard calling it flawed, or be angry at NewsGuard, calling it biased.

Don’t like an article but NewsGuard says it’s true? NewsGuard is wrong.

Yes bias is a human problem, but this could help someone who is undecided.

 

[mw360]

Amusing to see that it did actually blacklist the Daily Mail, one of the UK's most popular tabloid newspapers.

I wouldn't be surprised if all the UK tabloids get the same treatment and it seems fair to me but it's not a sustainable solution. Before you know it there be Conservative News Rating services and Christian News Rating Services and Rabid Leftists, and Moon Landing Deniers, and rating services for people who like The Last Jedi. Then we'll be back where we started.

 

[coolfactor]

Now if only Facebook would integrate this... that's where many people get their "news".

 

[freddiebarnes]

Also good for those of us who read the article and are installing the extension.

Edit: Never mind. They gave Faux News a green light, so they apparently don't actually do their stated purpose of warning you of untrustworthy sites. #uninstalled

They also gave CNN and BuzzFeed a green light so this extension is very fake and biased news.

 

[Zedcars]

Amusing to see that it did actually blacklist the Daily Mail, one of the UK's most popular tabloid newspapers.

It’s f***ing hilarious!

"[The Daily Mail] generally fails to maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability”

Never a truer word spoken.

About time that filthy journalistic embarrassment got blocked!

It’s just a shame it’s only the website, and not the “newspaper” itself.

 

[FyerFyer]

Amusing to see that it did actually blacklist the Daily Mail, one of the UK's most popular tabloid newspapers.

And one of the most fabricated, rumour mills around. Seems like it’s doing its job

 

[centauratlas]

Transparency in their process is the only way this might work. E.g. these stories were marked false from these web sites, these true, balance shows a score of X. There are no sites that haven't had false stories over the last few years.

I guess buzzfeed must be blocked after last week. Lol.
Yet it gave the green to WaPo and NYT after they falsely reported a number of thing the last few years.