The popular Chinese social app WeChat has launched a new feature to correct and discredit fake news. The feature is a mini program within the WeChat app, and allows users to search for rumours and read a list of articles that debunk recently published fake news stories. The search feature also gives users a ranking based on how often they have read a result marked as false, whilst also allowing people to share articles with friends. Additionally, if a user shares a piece of content with friends which is later proven to be false, both the user and their friends will receive a notification informing them of this. A scandal in China regarding “tainted milk” brought the issue of false information to prominence back in 2008, and since then companies in the country have been keen to reassure consumers that products, particularly food, are safe for consumption.
