If you’ve been anywhere news an Internet-enabled device in the past two months, you’re no familiar with the phrase "fake news."
Coined by the Left as a means of identifying factually-inaccurate propaganda designed to advance right wing political agendas, the phrase has been co-opted by Donald Trump and his followers as an easy two-word refutation to news reports that don’t suit their aims.
But no matter what side of the aisle is shaking its fist about it at the moment, the fact remains fake news is a serious problem that undoubtedly influenced the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
After initially denying that the spread of misinformation on Facebook had had any impact on the outcome of the race, Mark Zuckerberg has finally vowed to take action against fake news, but many believe the steps he’s taking are insufficient and that the young CEO fails to recognize the severity of the problem.
Now, with the net’s largest social media sites struggling with the question of how to curb propaganda without trampling on their users’ right to free expression, the world’s main driver of web-traffic is taking decisive action to ensure that future elections won’t be manipulated by widespread falsehoods or "alternative facts," as they’re now known to some.
On Wednesday, Google announced that it would increase regulation of advertising and linked-to websites that are designed to mislead the user or facilitate the propagation of false information.
The move is seen by many as a result of Google’s belief that the Trump administration will do little to make the Internet a safer place and a more reliable source of facts, which puts the onus on private behemoths to take immediate action.
Interestingly, the announcement comes after a year in which Google made massive leaps forward in its effort to suppress the spread of misinformation.
The company removed more than 1.7 billion false ads in 2016, up from 718 million in 2016.
Google has earned praise for not only taking swift action, but for being so transparent in its efforts.
The company’s latest move has led to increased demands on Facebook to follow suit by outlining exactly what steps it plans to take to ensure that erroneous, misleading posts such as the one that led to last year’s "pizzagate" shooting will not find a home on the world’s most popular social media platform.
It may take time, but it’s looking more and more like the same Internet that helped create the groundswell that led to the election of Donald Trump will soon be the greatest enemy of his "alt-right" followers and their ongoing propaganda campaign.