Using PageRank to Combat Fake News
In an age where many people are switching to online sources to get their news, a concern arises where people may not be able to discern if news is accurate and true. This was especially prevalent during the 2016 presidential election, with the rise of “fake news” and news outlets spreading misinformation in order to be the first to publicize an event. However, many technology companies are helping to combat this. In his article, “Can algorithms really tackle the fake news fiasco?” Soumik Ghosh covers the efforts tech giants are making, namely Google.
Ghosh details how the rise of social media creates a culture where information can have an extremely large reach and impact. Therefore, tech companies are utilizing AI-based algorithms to categorize irrefutable news sources. He mentions how Google, which has an extremely popular search engine, is using PageRank to determine what sources appear at the top of the search results. The algorithm uses how many pages are linked to a certain publication in order to rank them. Since PageRank applies across multiple platforms, it becomes a useful tool to identify what news is “fake.”
Google’s PageRank algorithm echoes what we learned in class and is a useful way to utilize how pages can link to each other. If we consider individual publications as nodes, the authority nodes with the more hub nodes linking to it will have a higher PageRank value. A high PageRank valued node will not link outwards to many other places, but will have many links inwards. In Google’s case, a higher PageRank value means that a source is reputable as many other sources are linking to it.
Ultimately, the best way to find if news is reputable is through human intervention, as algorithms can be manipulated or influenced. But using algorithms based on PageRank can be an effective tool with all of the information circulating.
Source: http://www.cio.in/feature/can-algorithms-really-tackle-fake-news-fiasco