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FakeHunter software launched to fight disinformation

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PAP and GovTech have decided to share the #FakeHunter project source code with other entities online in order to fight against disinformation.

The software will be provided under open license enabling further distribution as well as copying and development. The aim of both institutions is to minimize the effects of fake news in circulation through verifying and public contradicting. 

The #FakeHunter platform has been launched on April the 8th in response to a deluge of false information concerning the Covid-19 pandemic which at that time were posing a risk to human health and security.  

The example of such a fake news can be made with all the offers of false treatments or even news denying the existence of the same virus, both posing the people to risk of infection enormously.  

#FakeHunter is an innovative tool to fight the disinformation by engaging the Internet community.  

Users have the possibility to report via/through the application a questionable content and after having been verified by public verifiers and PAP experts they receive a reliable answer.  

All verdicts are made public in the service dedicated only for it, namely fakehunter.pap.pl  

The idea of this project is to engage diverse social groups for joint fight against the growing problem of false news in circulation online.  

The core of the project group, which created the system, were volunteers. A solution has been introduced which consists of three components: a plug-in to collect the reports, a panel to verify them and a portal with all outcomes. 

The #FakeHunter project has gained the interest of Internet users. Reports are made on a daily basis on information or disinformation about Corona Virus. 

All parts of the project has been tested and they are functioning smoothly.  

This is done under an open license. The possibility of using, copying, developing and further distribution of this tool in this difficult point of time is a part of concern for health and social security Wojciech Surmacz, the chairman of PAP, explains. 

After a month since the application has been launched out of all reported contents for checking75 false information on the COVID-19 pandemic were disclosed. 

The problem with spreading of fake news has a global character. Various attempts and initiatives engaging international community throughout the world has been developed in order to find solutions for fighting with the scale of this phenomenon. The team who recently won the last European “hackathone” EUvsVirus 2020 in the category “Fake News”, also created the concept of a fact checking platform,” Justyna Orłowska, Plenipotentiary of the Prime Minister for GovTech explains.  

This shows how big is the demand for launching of tools, which enable to stand against the deluge of false news online. We designed such a solution. We build up smoothly functioning system and we offer it under open license. We would also like to encourage the others to further develop it,” she said.        

The Polish Press Agency is Poland’s largest news agency. It gathers, processes and releases objective news as seen from many perspectives from Poland and abroad. The GovTech Polska Programme is a multidepartmental task force operating in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland and reporting to the Prime Minister. 

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Pearl Dy is a community manager and journalist. She is passionate about business and development particularly involving digital economy, not-for-profits, charity and social entrepreneurship.

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