University researchers are working on a system that could quash rumours spreading on social media by identifying whether information is accurate.
Five European universities, led by Sheffield in northern England, are cooperating on a system that could automatically identify whether a rumour originates from a reliable source and can be verified.
"Social networks are rife with lies and deception," the project leaders said in a statement. Such messages can have far-reaching consequences, but there is so much of it that it is impossible to analyse it in real time.
The project is trying to identify four types of information -- speculation, controversy, misinformation, and disinformation -- and model their spread on social networks.