Fake News continues to be a relevant term in the current age, with media, politicians and social platforms spreading it. While most people would think fighting misinformation is good, Microsoft released a baffling statement about not pointing out fake news.
Why Microsoft won’t fight fake news
Despite rampant lies being a major issue online, Microsoft claims they won’t be labelling anything “fake news” due to outcries of censorship. Apparently, the billion-dollar conglomerate is afraid of online crowds who believe limiting dangerous falsehoods is against free speech.
“I don’t think that people want governments to tell them what’s true or false,” said Microsoft President Brad Smith tells Bloomberg. “And I don’t think they’re really interested in having tech companies tell them either.”
Apparently, the company will be finding another way to root out misinformation and it will do so without angering people. For some reason, pointing out that specific news is fake might cause some damage but Microsoft wants people to make up their own minds.
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What Microsoft will do
Bloomberg says Microsoft will focus on tracking outlets that spread fake news and then publicize their existence so everyone’s aware. The goal is to be “transparent” about what is shared so that people can decide for themselves, which is a choice.
“It turns out that if you tell people what’s going on, then that knowledge inspires both action and conversation about the steps that global governments need to take to address these issues,” said Tom Burt, corporate vice president for customer security and trust.
Only time will tell if this ends up being an effective way to combat misinformation. Personally, we still think fake news should be pointed out but that’s neither here nor there.
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