"Veri.ly" project for the platform to validate news on social networks

"Veri.ly" project for the platform to validate news on social networks

Researchers from the planned Masdar Institute of science and technology in Abu Dhabi and Qatar to Computing Research Institute launched the beta version of Veri.ly platform this summer.

Aim "." Veri.ly, which means really, without doubt, to provide an instrument capable of rapid verification of the flow of information through social media sites, often especially after important events and natural disasters in these sites a lot of uncertain information, and often contradictory. The validation of this information in a timely manner is crucial in coordinating relief efforts in the aftermath of a natural disaster, for example.

"Dependent." recruiting "crowd" and mobilize people to collect and analyze the evidence to confirm or deny the health news, with reputation points as a form of compensation, in order to encourage people to participate.

The platform intends to "see." tested during a natural disaster such as flood or volcano as usual accompanied by warnings, and coordination with humanitarian organizations to use the podium.

For example, you can publish a photo circulating via Twitter to the hospital in shock, a question was raised about whether the image is real, for users to assess their health and urge their friends and social networks on their observers verify image.

During that voting acquires points reflect the reputation or credibility, and increase their reputation points or down by their correct information. In the times following gaining votes and opinions provided by trusted persons after a higher degree of credibility.

It also will urge "Ferry." voting to bring new participants, and will give the participant who uses the site on the nomination of a user with a reputation of high reputation points in the beginning.

Lessons of the "challenge of the red balloon"

Try "." to be inspired by previous experience of mobilizing and coordinating the efforts of people across social media sites for one task.

The most prominent such tests known as "red balloon challenge" in 2009 where the defense research projects Agency spotted advanced (DARPA) $ 40,000 for the Group unable to identify locations of meteorological balloons released throughout the United States.

And team Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT) to locate in less than nine hours by encouraging people to participate via social media.

The Group adopted to motivate participants financial rewards, give each person be able to find one of the balloons $ 2,000, and $ 1,000 to the person who invited him to participate.

It was a similar challenge last year "Tag Challenge" when asked to identify five people, assuming they're suspects during twelve hours with a $ 5,000 reward for the winning team. People are distributed in five cities in Europe and North America.

The challenge was aimed at identifying the feasibility and method of using social media to achieve goals related to the enforcement of international law during a limited time. The team succeeded cloud scanner "CrowdScanner, which included computer scientists of the Institute of technology and the University of Southampton, for three of the most wanted. The team used financial rewards to encourage people to search and submit photos of wanted and urged others to participate.

Says one of the creators of "platform.", which participated in a team "cloud" Iyad rahwan scanner: "mobilizing people to join the search part of the problem, but we need to know how to avoid misinformation."

He said rahwan, Professor at the Institute of technology, said that while it took nine hours to find balloons, they hope to facilitate assessment of the crowd of media guides in single incidents takes less than nine minutes.

According to Patrick Meier, Director of innovation at the Institute for computing research Qatar one of participants in the creation of ".", the new platform can provide a quick means to verify reports that spread on sites like "reddit".

Similar services

Join platform "veer." for a group of similar services to check social media content, although mostly focusing on particular aspects.

Including Storyful which serves for journalists and news organizations to check social media content, such as video is validated by checking the angle of photography and weather and location.

As well as one of the initiatives of SwiftRiver Ushahidi, a free and open source platform depend on several applications, designed to assist individuals and organizations to extract meaning from a lot of information in a short time. Dependent on organizing and filtering data and order them through, and add context to explain them.

The crisis blew up the Boston Marathon

Highlights the importance of "fire." and other services with frequent users of social sites for transmission of news and photo is incorrect, causing several problems.

Perhaps the most recent examples, in the wake of twin bombings Boston Marathon in the United States in mid-April, where attempts by some users of the site "reddit" Reddit for identification of potential charges against Sunil tripathi, a student at Brown University. The name spread across Twitter, and the media, which has been shown not to health, "reddit" to publish an apology for what happened.

Says Ethan Zuckerman, Director of the Center for civic media at the Massachusetts Institute of technology: "the basic problem is frightening, people want to share and disseminate information, whether accurate or not." The reports on blast Boston Marathon proved media verification problems.