Flock team messenger unveils fake news detector

In its bid to stop proliferation of fake news and misinformation on Internet, Flock, a team messenger for businesses, on Thursday launched Fake News Detector (FND), allowing users to stop the flow of false information into the messaging app.

Flock FND identifies and flags content from sources deemed misleading, unverified or false when users share it on Flock messaging and collaboration platform among teams within their organisations.

"Optimal decisions are based on reliable information. However, employees rarely have the time to validate each piece of information they receive or consider," said Bhavin Turakhia, CEO Flock, in a statement.

When users share suspect URLs into Flock chat boxes, FND cross-references the link within a database of more than 600 verified fake news sources.

If the source is identified as unreliable, it is immediately flagged and users are warned through a visible icon and red bar that appears alongside the preview of the URL.

Users then have the option to remove the content before it becomes widespread, the company said.

--IANS

qd/na/bg