Misinformation isn’t limited to social media posts and shady websites. It also spreads through everyday conversations, meetings, podcasts, videos, and lectures, where questionable claims are often passed off as certain truths. By the time you think to check whether something is actually true, the conversation may have already moved on. A wearable device called FactNudger could offer a solution by quietly fact-checking claims in real-time and giving you a subtle buzz on the wrist when something doesn’t add up.
FactNudger is an Android and Wear OS system that listens to speech, transcribes conversations in real time, identifies potentially verifiable claims, and searches the web for supporting or contradicting evidence. Rather than constantly interrupting the wearer, the system decides whether it should wait for additional context, ignore a claim, or send an alert.
When credible evidence contradicts an important claim, such as one involving health, finances, or safety, the smartwatch vibrates. A brief explanation then appears on its display, while a companion smartphone can provide the supporting sources for anyone who wants to investigate further.
Testing of the complete system on a random sample of 125 previously fact-checked claims resulted in a correct true-or-false verdict 77% of the time. The researchers also created 50 more difficult...
The mother of Henry Nowak’s killer, whose false allegations of racism sparked a political and cultural firestorm, was sentenced to three years in prison for hiding Vickrum Digwa’s murder weapon fro...