Cutting-edge technologies gave the world fake news, but researchers from the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering are developing even newer technology to stop it.
According to Chien-Chih Chen, one of the project’s lead researchers and a PhD candidate in electrical and computer engineering, the innovative system he and his colleagues have developed over the past three years is “unique,” and relies on something already famous for underpinning Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies — blockchain.
Blockchains are best known for playing a similar role in making secure cryptocurrency transactions. Chen said they can also make his system for verifying news secure.
At this point the researchers have built, and are working with, an early prototype. While initial test results are promising, their system is still in the development stage and needs a significant effort to make it usable in the real world. Even so, an industrial partner, Ripple Labs Inc. — a leading provider of crypto solutions for businesses — is sponsoring the Waterloo research.
Go to Tackling fake news for the full story.