Today’s Solutions: December 10, 2023

The popular image-focused social networking platform Pinterest is promising to do its part in the fight against fake news by blocking all content that denies, twists, or in any way spreads misinformation about the climate crisis.

As reported by The Guardian, Pinterest’s new policy defines misinformation rather broadly as content that denies the existence or effects of climate change or humanity’s hand in it, as well as content that “misrepresents scientific data,” and misleading reports about natural disasters and extreme weather events.

“Pinterest believes in cultivating a space that’s trusted and truthful for those using our platform,” states the company’s head of policy Sarah Bromma. She goes on to say that the company decided to make this move as an expansion of the misinformation guidelines they developed to address public health misinformation in 2017, adding that “the expanded climate misinformation policy is yet another step in Pinterest’s journey to combat misinformation and create a safe space online.”

The platform has made considerable efforts to set itself apart from other social media outlets by attempting to be more stringent in their limiting of various categories of misinformation. Pinterest’s position on removing dangerous or damaging falsehoods stands in contrast to Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg’s argument that technology companies shouldn’t be in the position to judge what is true or not.

Pinterest takes it a step further by limiting its own search engine tools, so that when users search for health-related terms like “vaccines” or “cancer cure,” they will not be shown results as they normally would be, but instead are redirected to health advice posted on the platform from credible organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Vaccine Safety Net.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Growing the green workforce: US commits $41M to clean energy training centers

The United States is preparing for an energy transformation, and it's no secret that a trained workforce is critical to making the transition to ...

Read More

Greenery, berries, and creative accents: elevate your holiday décor with nati...

During the holidays, the timeless charm of beautifying our spaces with fresh greenery, vivid fruits, and berries resonates strongly, reflecting customs established in millennia ...

Read More

How to extend the lifespan of your avocados by a month

When you know your avocados are in their peak ripe stage but you're not ready to use them yet, there’s no reason to let ...

Read More

Avatar’s motion AI tech helps researchers detect rare diseases

Researchers are using motion capture artificial intelligence technology that brings characters to life in films like Avatar to track the onset of diseases that ...

Read More