Innovative project launches to combat disinformation through blockchain technology

Innovative Project Launches to Combat Disinformation Through Blockchain Technology

A groundbreaking initiative aimed at combating disinformation and promoting quality journalism was unveiled in Bucharest, marking a significant advancement in the digital information landscape. The project, named “Agerpres Daily News | Hold History,” is spearheaded by the National Institute for Informatics Research and Development “ICI Bucharest” and the National News Agency Agerpres, with the backing of the Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digital Transformation.

The project was officially launched on 21 October and will run as a pilot until the end of the month. It strategically employs blockchain technology and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) to ensure the authenticity and integrity of news content. This initiative aspires to securely preserve factual and verified news, transforming them into NFT, thus creating a permanent digital record free from alteration and manipulation.

The launch event was attended by students from the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences at the University of Bucharest, under the guidance of Dean Romina Surugiu, as well as students from the Romanian-American University. During the event, Bogdan-Gruia Ivan, the Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digital Transformation, underscored the significance of this project in fostering a safe digital ecosystem, emphasizing blockchain’s capability to authenticate information.

Adrian-Victor Vevera, Director-General of ICI Bucharest, highlighted the transformative nature of the project, describing it as a leap forward in news dissemination in the current digital age. Vevera pointed out that news verification and validation have become standard practices among major news agencies worldwide, leading to the emergence of news presented as collectible NFT data stored in a common memory archive.

Claudia Nicolae, Managing Director at Agerpres, stressed the urgency of such a project. She noted the growing trend among informed readers who consistently verify news via Agerpres’s website, though she acknowledged the limited engagement from younger audiences on traditional platforms. Nicolae explained that today’s youth expect media to reach them in their digital spaces, prompting the initial foray into NFT two years ago with archival images. She emphasised the project’s potential to bridge traditional journalism with future technological practices while maintaining rigorous standards of information verification and accountability.

Each NFT generated under the “Agerpres Daily News | Hold History” initiative will encapsulate daily highlights from a trustworthy source, accompanied by a digital certificate of authenticity powered by blockchain. This mechanism is designed to ensure that the information remains unaltered, safeguarding it against misinterpretation or manipulation.

The selected news stories will be crafted into NFTs by a team of seasoned journalists and made available on the “ICI D|Services” platform. This platform is noted as the first institutional avenue in Europe dedicated to the management and trade of digital assets, reflecting a pioneering approach within the continent.

As this pilot project unfolds, stakeholders are keenly observing its impact, hoping it will lay the foundational infrastructure for future information dissemination that heavily relies on technological innovations to uphold journalistic integrity.

Source: Noah Wire Services