Video: Intel’s bullshit filter exposes disputed information on the Internet

June 19, 2009 | Dean Takahashi | Comments | |

disputeIntel’s researchers have figured out how to expose lies on the Internet. They’ve launched a tool dubbed Dispute Finder that lets you see highlighted text in a news story where the information is disputed. I call it a bullshit filter.

Working with researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, Intel Labs created an open source plug-in for the Firefox web browser that will automatically highlight text that other web users have reported as inaccurate or disputed information.

Intel researchers showed off the technology on Thursday at the Intel Research Day at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif. It was one of 45 R&D projects on display.

The Dispute Finder works like this. When you read a story where you think the information is false, you can highlight the snippet of text and report it as disputed. Then you or others can add information that shows arguments on both sides of the dispute. When other users read the story, they will see the highlighted text in dispute. They can click on it to see the arguments, and then vote up or down on what they believe is credible. They can also rate sources of information for accuracy. Of course, you have to weigh the opinions yourself. God forbid that a minority viewpoint that isn’t popular should actually prove to be the most accurate.

While I refer to this tool as a bullshit filter, Intel more politely refers to this as “confrontational computing.”

Check out our video with Robert Ennals of Intel.

Intel’s bullshit filter exposes disputed web information from Dean Takahashi on Vimeo.

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About the Author, Dean Takahashi

Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • dd
    I was expecting something very different from the title... Maybe a big rant about Intel and their terrible filters? :)

    Anyway, I like their plugin and will give a try.
  • That's a pretty awesome gadget - though the potential for misuse is also pretty high.
  • Peter Antypas
    Haven't we had things like this since ... 1998?
  • BlackberryAccessories
    good gadget ...i feel the plugin is very useful i will take a look and i will try it
  • Robert
    So basically, every snippet of text on the internet will be highlighted for dispute, making it virtually impossible to read anything without wading through a pile of opposing claims that may or may not be credible. And all this on the basis of user perceptions of credibility? I'm skeptical.
  • lokol13
    Seems like "sticky notes" or "comments" in MS Word to me. . . Hmmm. If the only people who were permitted to use / license this were the authors (whose work was edited in a way that they didn't authorize before publication), news / site ombudsman or editors in chief, or academic research types, all with known contact information & bios made available upon comment, I'd be more likely to trust it.