NEW DELHI:Thursday said it will start showing ” — flaggingand offering correct insights — for news-related videos on its platform as part of its efforts to curb spread of.
YouTube currently offers features like ” and ” – available in India in English – to promote verified news sources when a major news event happens in the country.
The information panels would be available when a user seeks information about the accuracy of a claim related to a news item in Hindi and English language. YouTube would then match that query with a relevant article marked as fact check by an eligible publisher.
‘As part of our ongoing efforts to build a better news experience on YouTube, we are expanding our information panels to bring fact checks from eligible publishers to YouTube,’ a YouTube spokesperson told PTI.
From WhatsApp To YouTube, Tech Updates That Will Impact Your Digital Life
Time For An Upgrade
Everyone knows about the big product launches and global news. However, there are a number of small but significant updates that slip under the radar. Here’s a round-up of some of the announcements that will possibly have an impact on your digital life.
Glass That Survives 15 Drops
Almost every smartphone user knows about Corning’s Gorilla Glass — chemically strengthened glass that is used for protection on the front and even on the rear of some phones. This is tough to do because this glass also has to be optically perfect — any sm
all imperfections will be visible.
Corning just announced the latest version called Gorilla Glass 6 which they claim can survive multiple drops without breaking. They also say it is twice as strong as Gorilla Glass 5 with enhanced scratch resistance to boot. It will not exactly be shatterproof but you can expect your smartphone to be able to withstand a few drops before the glass breaks. The glass is already in production so you can expect premium devices to get this added protection within the next few months.
(Image: corning.com)
Truecaller Informs, Blocks & Now Records Too
Call recording is one of the most requested features in a smartphone. Some smartphones have this feature built-in (which is ideal) and there are some paid apps that offer it (performance varies across devices). Truecaller has come to the rescue by adding call recording option to the latest update. Note that call recording is only available for Android phones. Tap on the profile icon on top left corner to access the menu and you will see the recording option. A floating button appears when the call is connected and a simple tap starts recording the conversation. Recordings are saved directly to your phone’s internal storage and not on the cloud. You can get free call recording for 14 days and after that you have to upgrade to a premium account to use it.
The spokesperson added that the feature is being launched first in India and planned to be rolled out in more countries later.
The Google-owned platform is engaging with a number of third-party publishers like BOOM, Quint, Factly, AFP, Jagran and others to verify the facts in news videos, and flag incorrect information to help users distinguish between misinformation and authentic news stories.
While these third-party fact checkers are part of an open ecosystem, the publishers will have to meet certain standards to be part of the initiative. Also, the content that has been flagged is not removed (unless it violates the company’s guidelines), and instead the information panel outlines the correct information for the users.
Given apprehensions that social media could be misused to interfere in the upcoming elections, the government has been warning these platforms of strong action if any attempt was made to influence the country’s electoral process through undesirable means.
Social media giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter, on their part, have been expanding their efforts in collaborating with third-party partners to verify content to combat spread of ‘fake news’ on digital platforms, especially ahead of general elections.
These companies have also promised to infuse more transparency into political advertisements on their platform, and announced a slew of other measures as part of their election integrity efforts.