Industrial solutions utilising blockchain technology : combating fake news

Abstract

Globalization and technological advancement have made the world a dynamic global village where information travels across continents with the speed of light. In the modern age, while uninterrupted and efficient communication has various advantages, there also exist various evils. One such menace is the ‘Fake News’. The phenomenon has spread around the world like wildfire and has increasingly become a challenge for the general public to differentiate, on their own, between honest and fake information. The impact, especially in the economic dimension, it has on the dynamics of nations and outside of its boundaries cannot be ignored any further. Hence, this study seeks to investigate the current fake news detection practices and aims to provide necessary improvement proposals in this domain of research. The research provides an in-depth investigation of the problem of the spread of fake content and provides valuable basic information on its influence around the world. As a solution, comprehensive research is conducted on the blockchain technology and its industrial applications, among various alternative concepts, for fake news detection. Taking inspiration from various already developed solutions and on-going research, a blockchain framework is proposed as a concrete solution to counter the persistent risk of fake news and disinformation which upholds the core values of transparency, trustworthiness, traceability and authenticity. The results indicate that none of the developed or on-going research provides an effective blueprint of the solution and there is a need for an integrated framework which has a user-centric approach. The thesis concludes by discussing how to improve the current fake news detection techniques by proposing an integrated fake news detection framework model following a blockchain-inspired approach. The research can also help in terms of extensive research for the future in this area of study.