Microsoft Adds Fake News Tracker To Its Mobile Browser

A person uses a Windows Phone

Microsoft is trying to combat fake news and has rolled out a new feature that will warn people if a site they are visiting is not a trustworthy source. The feature comes built-in to Microsoft Edge but is optional to use. When it is on, users will be given a warning if the site is deemed untrustworthy. 

The feature was developed in conjunction with NewsGuard, a company that was formed by two former journalists to rate sites on their trustworthiness. NewsGuard had developed an extension for the browser, but it required people to install it on their own. Now users won't have to worry about finding it and can turn the feature on using the browser's basic settings. 

When it is turned on, users will see a tiny shield in the browser bar that is either green or red. You will be able to click on the shield for a more detailed description of the sites trust ranking. The ranking is based on a variety of factors, including the site's propensity to post incorrect stories and their use of misleading headlines.

The plug-in only comes preinstalled on the mobile version of the browser so people using desktop computers would still need to manually install it if they want to be warned of potential fake news. 

Photo: Getty Images


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