Fake news blocker is a content filtering and fake news website blocking extension for the Safari(mobile). It can block over thousand fake news websites.
Fake news websites are websites that publish hoaxes, propaganda, and disinformation to increase web traffic through sharing on social media. Unlike news satire, where humor is the object, fake news websites seek to increase their traffic by knowingly circulating false stories.
Domain classifications include:
Fake News: Sources that fabricate stories out of whole cloth with the intent of pranking the public.
Satire: Sources that provide humorous commentary on current events in the form of fake news.
Extreme Bias: Sources that traffic in political propaganda and gross distortions of fact.
Conspiracy Theory: Sources that are well-known promoters of kooky conspiracy theories.
Rumor Mill: Sources that traffic in rumors, innuendo, and unverified claims.
State News: Sources in repressive states operating under government sanction.
Junk Science: Sources that promote pseudoscience, metaphysics, naturalistic fallacies, and other scientifically dubious claims.
Hate Group: Sources that actively promote racism, misogyny, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination.
Clickbait: Sources that are aimed at generating online advertising revenue and rely on sensationalist headlines or eye-catching pictures.
Proceed With Caution: Sources that may be reliable but whose contents require further verification.
Fraudulent articles spread through social media during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Several officials within the U.S. Intelligence Community said that Russia was engaged in spreading fake news.[8] Computer security company FireEye concluded Russia used social media as cyberwarfare. Google and Facebook banned fake sites from using online advertising. U.S. President Barack Obama said a disregard for facts created a "dust cloud of nonsense".[12] Concern advanced bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate to authorize U.S. State Department action against foreign propaganda. U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee member Ron Wyden said: "There is definitely bipartisan concern about the Russian government engaging in covert influence activities of this nature.
Paul Horner, a creator of fraudulent news stories, stated in an interview with The Washington Post that he was making approximately US$10,000 a month through advertisements linked to the fraudulent news.He said he posted a fraudulent advertisement to Craigslist offering thousands of dollars in payment to protesters, and wrote a story based on this which was shared online by Trumps campaign manager. Horner believed that when the stories were shown to be false, this would reflect badly on Trumps supporters who had shared them. In retrospect after the election, he said he felt badly his efforts helped the Trump campaign. In a follow-up interview with Rolling Stone, Horner revealed that The Washington Post profile piece on him spurred greatly increased interest with over 60 interview requests from media including ABC News, CBS News, and CBSs Inside Edition. Horner explained his writing style was such that articles appeared legitimate at the top and became increasingly couched in absurdity as the reader progressed. Horner told Rolling Stone he always placed his name as a fictional character in his fake articles. He said he supported efforts to decrease fake news websites.
Fake news blocker searches webpages for references to unreliable sources, checking against a manually compiled list of domains.
The list of domains powering the Fake news blocker was somewhat indiscriminately compiled from various sources around the web.