Researchers are working on software to identify false information on the internet

Twitter is great for disseminating information quickly to millions. It’s also great for disseminating misinformation. Now a team of European researchers is working to make the Twittersphere more reliable — by identifying lies before they go viral. This seemingly impossible task will be accomplished by software called Pheme, a program intended to identify Twitter rumors in times of crisis. Pheme will be able to identify false information by looking at the news source, the conversations that stem from the tweet, and even the tweet’s language, says senior researcher Kalina Bontcheva, an expert in text mining at Sheffield University. For example, researchers hope, Pheme will be able to identify the kind of sensationalist language or strong emotion commonly employed when people exaggerate.