EUNOMIA project aims to restore public trust in social media

Kicked-off in January, the consortium of the EUNOMIA project is aiming to create a social media companion that will answer three fundamental questions about any piece of social media content: Who created it? How trustworthy the creator is? Was the content changed from its initial creation to the point where it was visualized by the end-user? The project uses blockchain technologies to ensure privacy and anonymity while retaining the credibility of existing alternative social media sites, like Mastodon or Blasting News, which will visualize the trustworthiness of the content.

While the issue of “fake news” has been in the public’s attention for some time now, it is a problem that is deeper than it appears. EUNOMIA seeks to find a solution to this issue at its root. From breaches of private data to the prevalence of fake content and news, social media has been the point of entry for malevolent actors in our daily lives. Especially prevalent in the current political climate, fake news spreads quickly and relatively unchecked throughout social media sites. According to a recent Nature Communications study, during the most recent presidential election in the United States, a startling 25% of 30 million tweets which contained a link to a news outlet were either fake or extremely biased. On Facebook alone, there are 83 million fake profiles, many sharing information as misleading as their profile. With links to sometimes legitimate sounding news sources and the prevalent use of Photoshop, it can be difficult to decipher what information received via social media is reliable. Imagine if you could accurately tell at a glance if you should believe the controversial “news” update your college buddy or co-worker has shared on Facebook. EUNOMIA aims to allow you to do just that!

Find out more about the project here