Share

China's Google checks 3 billion 'fake news' claims every year

Beijing - China’s biggest search engine, Baidu, checks out 3 billion claims of fake news every year and works closely with government agencies to tackle an issue it calls a global challenge.

The spread of rumours and false information is a problem faced by companies around the world that requires technology and cooperation with external organisations to fix, President Zhang Yaqin told Bloomberg Television. 

Baidu, one of the country’s three largest internet players, employs technology to spot potentially spurious information before turning to local agencies such as the cyberspace administration to verify items, he said.

Pressure is building on social media services from Google to Twitter to try and curb the proliferation of fake news and targeted ads that critics say have an outsized effect on public discourse and elections. Facebook’s chief security officer, Alex Stamos, said last week it was very difficult to spot fake news and propaganda using computer programs, a view echoed by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Companies in China, where freedom of speech is heavily curtailed by censorship programs, have long used a mix of advanced technologies and human cybercops to police the internet and suppress opinions deemed to threaten social harmony.

“Every year we see somewhere around 3 billion claims, requests that we need to verify that might turn out to be fake news,” he said. “We’re using a combination of technology and content authorisation to minimise the fake news.”

“We have an obligation to make sure the user gets good content, but it continues to be a challenge for us, for other companies in China, and companies in the US,” he added.

Zhang also said the company was expanding its artificial intelligence labs in America and would likely attempt to acquire more companies there as it prepares to put driverless cars on Chinese streets from 2018.

“We will probably see cars as early as next year,” he said. “In three to five years you will see some of the cars on the street as commercial vehicles.”

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE UPDATE: Get Fin24's top morning business news and opinions in your inbox.

Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter:


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.07
-0.9%
Rand - Pound
24.05
-0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.56
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.38
-0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.8%
Platinum
894.64
-0.3%
Palladium
992.99
-0.9%
Gold
2,198.42
+0.2%
Silver
24.47
-0.7%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,986
+0.5%
All Share
74,202
+0.4%
Resource 10
56,458
+1.4%
Industrial 25
103,645
+0.4%
Financial 15
16,496
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders