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The European Commission (EC) is exploring the possibility of using blockchain technology to tackle the menace of false information spreading on the internet. The commission announced a framework on Monday whereby online platforms would develop their own in-house systems to identify bots and fake accounts.

As per the commission’s voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation, blockchain technology is a very important part of achieving the drive which it hopes to introduce later this year.

Contained in the press release the European Commission published, it identifies blockchain as one of the “emerging technologies which are changing the way information is produced and disseminated, and have the potential to play a central role in tackling disinformation over the longer term.”

In line with this endeavor, this newly published press release follows a previously published report on March 2018 by the High-Level Expert Group which calls on more transparency from online platforms to help tackle the spread of fake news. Accordingly, the commission also called for urgent investment in enlightening the public on media and information, introducing strategies to empower journalist and finally, to promote a diverse and sustainable news media ecosystem.

Identifying Bots on the Internet

With a view to control or minimize the damages caused by automatic action scripts like bots on the cyberspace, the EC wants social media platforms to help establish methods for identifying them so that their activities will not be confused with human interactions. Although the commission did not go into details on how this feat can be achieved, however, it encourages platforms to come up with their own solutions.

In as much as blockchain technology can provide reliability, transparency, and traceability of information online, the European Commission for that reason believes that combining those features with other established identification methods could impact positively on the fight against disinformation online. The commission noted that: "Innovative technologies, such as blockchain, can help preserve the integrity of content, validate the reliability of information and/or its sources, enable transparency and traceability, and promote trust in news displayed on the Internet."

Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://smartereum.com/11971/the-european-commission-blockchain-technology-fight-fake-news-online/

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