• How to fight misinformation with the support of machine learning tools?

    How good are we at telling fact from fiction on the Internet? Admittedly, it can be difficult at times – there’s a lot of misinformation floating out there. Some sites and blogs routinely present opinions as facts to score quick political points, others use misleading headlines to trick us into clicking and sharing content and yet, others will flat out lie to us, suggesting that goji berries, green coffee beans or some other “weird trick” will magically burn off 50 pounds of belly fat without us needing to exercise.
    The rise of social media has created a seemingly unstoppable force of misinformation. Propaganda pushed through state-sponsored channels is disinformation, but the content in our social media feeds shared by friends is misinformation. Misinformation can be described as information that is unintentionally false, i.e. the person who is disseminating it believes that it is true. While new technologies accelerate our ability to communicate with each other, they also accelerate the spread of misinformation.
    Contemporary social media platforms offer a rich ground for the spread of misinformation. Combatting its spread is difficult for two reasons: the profusion of information sources, and the generation of "echo chambers." The profusion of information sources makes the reader's task of weighing the reliability of information more challenging, heightened by the untrustworthy social signals that go with such information. The inclination of people to follow or support like-minded individuals leads to the formation of echo chambers and filter bubbles. With no differing information to counter the untruths or the general agreement within isolated social clusters, the outcome is a dearth, and worse, the absence of a collective reality, some writers argue.
    As the world gets ready to tackle fake news, technology has set the trend by showing us how to identify and tackle it. Here are some ways to mitigate the spread of misinformation with the power of machine learning.
    1. News Quality Scoring
    The powers of machine learning could be leveraged in combating misinformation by building a quality tag system capable of determining the trustworthiness of websites. To achieve this, a publisher presents its stories to the news quality scoring platform, which then assesses the content to come up with a global score for quality. This process would be done at scale, automatically, and using machine learning algorithm. A crucial part of the quality tag system is labeling the dataset, i.e., thousands of news articles. The process will be both automated and rely on collaborative filtering.
    The news quality scoring platform would rely on a combination of two models to carry out its task. The first model involves two sets of “signals” to assess the quality of journalistic work: Quantifiable Signals and Subjective Signals. Quantifiable Signals are collected automatically. These signals include the structure and patterns of the HTML page, advertising density, use of visual elements, bylines, word count, readability of the text, information density (number of quotes and named entities). Subjective Signals are based on criteria used by editors (and intuitively by readers) to assess the quality of a story: writing style, thoroughness, balance & fairness, timeliness, etc. (This set will be used only in the building phase of the model). — The second model is based on deep learning techniques, like "text-embedding" in which texts from large volumes of data (millions of articles) are converted into numerical values to be fed into a neural network. This neural network returns the probability of scoring, and with this score, a site’s factual accuracy could be determined.
    2. Automated Facts Checking
    To fight misinformation, it is imperative to weigh facts that the news in context purports to share. Automated facts checking initiatives generally focus on one or more of three overlapping objectives: to spot false or questionable claims circulating online and in other media; to authoritatively verify claims or stories that are in doubt, or to facilitate their verification by journalists and members of the public; and to deliver corrections instantaneously, across different media, to audiences exposed to misinformation. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, the three elements – identification, verification, and correction can be addressed.
    Real-world automated facts checking efforts begin with systems to monitor various forms of public discourse – speeches, debates, commentary, news reports, and so on – online and in traditional media. Once monitoring is in place, the central research and design challenge revolves around the closely linked problems of identifying and verifying factual claims. The best approach to this would be the reliance on a combination of natural language processing and machine learning to identify and prioritize claims to be checked. The natural language processing algorithm would go through the subject of a story, headline, main body text and the geo-location. Further, artificial intelligence will find out if other sites are reporting the same facts. In this way, facts are weighed against reputed media sources using artificial intelligence. Probabilistically, using machine learning, the system would be able to analyze a news story against a database of information, facts or past events and give some indicator signals whether the published news/content needs to be double-checked or not.
    3. Predict Reputation
    Even before eyeballs capture news items, knowing the reputation of the source sharing the news will do a world of good to nip fake news problem in the bud. A reference to the Wall Street Journal would raise no doubt about the reputation of a news source. This becomes stronger when it is compared with another source that is unknown. By creating a machine learning model, it is possible to determine the authenticity of a website and predict a website’s reputation, considering features like domain name and Google/Alexa web rank.
    4. Discover Sensational Words
    When it comes to news items, the headline is the key to capture the attention of the audience. It is for this reason that sensational headlines become a handy tool to capture readers’ interest. When sensational words are used to spread fake news, it becomes a lure to attract more eyeballs and spread the news faster and wider. By using keyword analytics, machine learning can be instrumental in discovering and flagging fake news headlines.
    Misinformation can have devastating outcomes and the most unfortunate fact is that it spreads more quickly and widely and is more engaging or appealing to the viewers. This is because in the online world, content choices are saturated, and the users have a limited attention span. Spreading misinformation, thus, has become so prolific that it is now nearly impossible for humanity to dig itself out of the quagmire. The last resort is to devise machines to pull us out. Machine learning techniques with the support of Artificial Intelligence have the capability to separate the good from the bad through pattern recognition that facilitates learning behaviors from past occurrences. Algorithms can be devised around these patterns to help in weeding out the false from the truth. Thus, machine learning tools as listed above can be devised to fight the spread of misinformation.

    References
    https://aboutbadnews.com/about-fake-news
    Wikipedia/misinformation
    http://aclweb.org/anthology/W18-5502
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/charlestowersclark/2018/10/04/can-ai-put-an-end-to-fake-news- dont-be-so-sure/#18d9bdf72f84

  • Google's parent company, Alphabet, has reportedly suspended some of its business with Huawei, in a potential big blow to the Chinese technology giant that the government of the United States has sought to blacklist around the world.

    The suspension involves the transfer of hardware, software, and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing.
    The news that Google has blocked Huawei’s future access to Android updates - for both apps and timely security updates - not only casts the Chinese smartphone manufacturer’s future business into huge doubt but also could have wide-ranging implications for the worldwide future of the phone market.
    After Trump placed Huawei on the ‘entity list’, limiting the business US brands could do with Huawei, Google has been forced to restrict access to the Google Play Store, which means users in the future won’t be able to gain access to popular titles, nor speedy security updates to the Android OS.
    In short, Huawei will no longer be able to offer access to crucial Google applications and will be severely limited in how quickly it can give users access to the latest version of Android, and the new features and security updates that it offers.

    What does that mean if I have a Huawei phone?

    Looking at a statement issued by Google spokesperson on this ban:

    “We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications. For users of our services, Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices,'' the spokesperson said, without giving further details.
    However, there is one nugget of good news if you’ve just spent large amounts of money on a Huawei P30 Pro: as alluded to above, current devices from the Chinese brand will continue to get security updates and access to the Google Play Store for the foreseeable future, as Google has promised not to leave those out in the cold.
    Huawei has said that it will continue to do all it can to support all phones currently out in the wild, and is looking at other implications:
    “Huawei has made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world. As one of Android’s key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefited both users and the industry.
    "Huawei will continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products, covering those that have been sold and that are still in stock globally.”
    That doesn’t mean that you’re in a wonderful place if you’re a current Huawei owner though - how long this support will last is, as yet, unclear, and is unlikely to continue for years to come.
    While most brands will only honor security updates for two to three years after launch, one might expect this to be much shorter given these new restrictions from Google.

    Will future Huawei phones still use Android?




    The move from Google means that it won’t be working with Huawei directly on issuing updates to its system, nor give them access to the Google Play Store. This is a potentially critical blow to the brand that only recently spoke out about plans to be the world's largest smartphone manufacturer.
    This means if Huawei wants to keep using the Android operating system, it will need to use the Android Open Source Platform (AOSP), which is a free platform that any brand can use as an underlying foundation for its products.
    However, there won’t be access to the core apps like YouTube, Google Maps and Chrome, nor the Google Play Store - these are core business elements from Google that it is not duty bound to offer to anyone, and in ceasing working with Huawei, these elements will be off limits.
    Without access to the Google Play Store, Huawei would be forced to work with developers to get them to directly create versions of their wares for its phones. This is similar to Amazon’s Fire OS, which is based on the AOSP but has its own app store, as the retail giant seeks to control the platform its Fire tablets and Echo devices run on.
    If Huawei is forced to use AOSP, it could be devastating in its consequences as access to a fully-stocked app store is crucial to the success of any modern smartphone - Nokia and Microsoft failed to make Windows Phones a viable alternative to Android and Apple’s iOS even though the brands poured millions into developer tools and enticing the top app creators onto their platform.
    However, Huawei has claimed that it has been developing its own alternative to Google’s Android for nearly seven years, calling it a ‘Plan B’ that’s ready to go should it lose access to the services listed above.
    Huawei in a statement said “We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally,” which sounds like it already wants to start some positive hype around its alternative OS.
    How this would work is currently unclear, as Huawei also said it would rather continue working with brands like Google and Microsoft on Android and Windows to offer the best experience.
    If Huawei loses access to the Google Play Store, it would take an enormous amount of investment to attract developers to create viable app options to keep smartphone users happy - one would have to seriously wonder if the brand would continue making phones at all when facing that kind of hurdle.
    The same would also apply to Honor, the sub-brand of Huawei phones, in the future. The manufacturer might have tried to distance itself from the parent company, but it’s been confirmed that it will be subject to the same sanctions.
    Image result for honor 20 coming soon
    However, the launch of that brand’s Honor 20 smartphone is still going ahead - so it’s clear that devices currently created and in the supply chain are still going to be supported on the Android ecosystem.
    While these sanctions don’t currently affect other brands, the message being sent is wide-ranging: politics can hugely affect one of the most crucial devices for billions of people.
    While there’s currently no issue with brands headquartered in other parts of the world, a similar sanction could see other smartphone manufacturers forced into a costly rethink.
    The beneficiary here could be Apple - Trump has long advocated for the brand to move its operations from China to the US, and exempted Apple from the trade tariffs imposed on China previously so the brand wouldn’t have to raise its prices.
    Huawei has been a thorn in Apple’s side of late, the rise of the Chinese brand seeing it usurp the Cupertino smartphone maker in the worldwide rankings - it’s a real competitor in the premium smartphone space and Trump clearly wants to see the American brand do more business in the US.
    However, moving the operations from China would be incredibly costly for Apple, and it would still need to source many components from Asia to build future iPhones, so it’s unclear how much of an effect a move would truly have.
    Losing Huawei from the smartphone world may also have a wider impact on the smartphones other vendors are pushing out. The Chinese brand’s aggressive development of new technological capabilities has forced rivals to significantly improve their devices and push out new advancements of their own. Losing this would slow the rate of development.
    Huawei’s smartphone camera prowess has arguably kickstarted a race to include ever-greater sharpness, richness and quality in smartphone snappers in the last two years - the quality of pictures one can take on premium smartphones has improved dramatically as the P series from Huawei has relentlessly pushed the boundaries of what’s possible.
    The brand is also in a race with Samsung to bring out the first widespread foldable phone - the Huawei Mate X’s mere presence has surely forced the South Korean brand to speed up its creation of a bending handset, meaning consumers get access to the technology earlier (although Samsung probably would have rather waited to deliver the Galaxy Fold…).

    So is it game over for Huawei?

    Image result for game over?

    There is a glimmer of hope for Huawei’s continued use of Android and the capabilities that offers. 
    The US Commerce Department recently issued a 90-day rollback of the trade restrictions imposed on Huawei to allow American networks to still buy important equipment to maintain infrastructure - in essence admitting that the restrictions would have deep implications for current operations and would need to be assessed on an ongoing basis.
    Google has also confirmed it is ‘reviewing’ the situation and implications the sanctions are imposing - it doesn’t want to limit the reach of its Android ecosystem, and US brands like Qualcomm are going to be severely impacted by Huawei restrictions, so will likely lobby to have this decision re-examined.
    Chipmakers including Intel Corp, Qualcomm Inc, Xilinx Inc, and Broadcom Inc have told their employees they will not supply critical software and components to Huawei until further notice, Bloomberg reported late on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.
    Ina Fried, the chief technology correspondent at Axios, said the move by Google could have severe ramifications for the expansion of Huawei outside the Chinese market.
    "If this stands, it's a pretty big blow," she told Al Jazeera from San Francisco, in the US state of California. "I think they will be relegated to a bit player in most countries other than China. In China, they're probably OK, where I don't think there is the same demand - there are alternatives as far as app stores Chinese consumers are not reliant on Google's services," she added.
    "But everywhere else I think it will severely dent what has been an incredibly fast-growing business service." Fried called the blacklist by the Trump administration "a very drastic step", adding that it would be "interesting" to see if China's responds.
    "I mean, it is true that Huawei counts on US software but I'll tell you, Apple relies on Chinese manufacturing so I think they are worried as well because China could retaliate by saying, "Fine, you'll have to pay giant export fees if you want to take those iPhones elsewhere."
    However, if Google is forced to cut off Huawei from future Android security updates and access to the Play Store, then it could not only make things difficult for Huawei but cause consumers to view any Chinese brand with suspicion - given the proliferation and technological prowess of these new phones, that would also have a huge impact on the industry.
    While this move seems to only affect Huawei, it’s going to have a knock-on effect for the entire industry and will most likely affect the next smartphone you buy - and could even mean the rise of a new mobile operating system too.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)