Fact checking methods

• US 8,229,795 B1
• Filed: 04/17/2012
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucas Myslinski
• Inventors: Myslinski, Lucas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Airapetian, Mila
• Application Number:
  US13/448,991
• Time in Patent Office: 98 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7837 using objects detected or recognised in the video content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/02 using automatic reactions or user delegation, e.g. automatic replies or chatbot-generated messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/258 Client or end-user data management, e.g. managing client capabilities, user preferences or demographics, processing of multiple end-users preferences to derive collaborative data arrangements for services using the result on the distributing side of broadcast systems H04H60/66; profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/30

Abstract

A fact checking system verifies the correctness of information and/or characterizes the information by comparing the information with one or more sources. The fact checking system automatically monitors, processes, fact checks information and indicates a status of the information.

Claims

1. A method programmed in a memory of a device comprising:

a. automatically monitoring broadcast information;

b. automatically processing the broadcast information including converting the broadcast information into searchable information;

c. automatically fact checking the searchable information by comparing the searchable information with source information;

d. automatically searching for supplemental information related to the broadcast information; and

e. automatically indicating a status of the broadcast information in real-time based on a result of the comparison of the searchable information with the source information and automatically indicating the supplemental information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information comprises an advertisement, and the advertisement is topically related to the searchable information or the result of the comparison.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information comprises an advertisement, and the advertisement is based on a political classification of a user and selections made by a user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information comprises an opposing view of the broadcast information.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the opposing view is determined by:

determining a broadcast information view;

classifying the broadcast information view; and

locating the opposing view corresponding to the broadcast information view.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the opposing view is based on political classification.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the opposing view is determined based on keywords detected in the broadcast information, based information regarding an entity providing the broadcast information, based on a political leaning of the entity, based on context, or based on metadata.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information is based on a headline, title, caption, or talking point of the broadcast information.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the broadcast information comprises a first advertisement, and the supplemental information comprises a second advertisement opposing the first advertisement.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the broadcast information comprises a first political advertisement, and the supplemental information comprises an opposing political advertisement rebutting the first political advertisement, wherein the first political advertisement and the opposing political advertisement have a relationship in a data structure.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling a selection of fact checking criteria to determine what and how to fact check, the fact checking criteria including:

a site or show to analyze, keywords to monitor, responses to the keywords, sources to search, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein enabling the selection of the fact checking criteria comprises allowing a user from a first point in a political spectrum to select a news organization to monitor, to specify one or more keywords relevant to the first point in the political spectrum to detect, and to select one or more references with views from the first point in the political spectrum regarding the one or more keywords to be displayed when the one or more keywords are detected.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information comprises an importance rating indicating an importance of the broadcast information to a user.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the importance rating is determined based on community standards, a selection by the user or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein broadcast information is presented to users based on the importance rating, including presenting higher rated broadcast information at a top of a list and not presenting the broadcast information with the importance rating below a threshold.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein automatically indicating includes presenting a combined importance and fact checking accuracy rating.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the importance rating is determined by:

analyzing the broadcast information;

classifying the broadcast information into a classification;

comparing the classification with an importance selection; and

generating the importance rating based on the comparison of the classification and the importance selection.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the supplemental information comprises a likelihood of importance rating wherein the likelihood of importance is based on a percentage of a population the broadcast information affects.

19. A method programmed in a memory of a device comprising:

a. automatically monitoring broadcast information;

b. automatically processing the broadcast information including converting the broadcast information into searchable information;

c. enabling a selection of fact checking criteria to determine what and how to fact check;

d. automatically fact checking the searchable information by comparing the searchable information with source information;

e. automatically searching for supplemental information related to the broadcast information; and

f. automatically indicating a status of the broadcast information in real-time based on a result of the comparison of the searchable information with the source information and automatically indicating the supplemental information.

20. A method programmed in a memory of a device comprising:

a. automatically monitoring broadcast information;

b. automatically processing the broadcast information including converting the broadcast information into searchable information;

c. automatically fact checking the searchable information by comparing the searchable information with source information;

d. automatically searching for supplemental information related to the broadcast information, wherein the supplemental information comprises an advertisement; and

e. automatically indicating a status of the broadcast information in real-time based on a result of the comparison of the searchable information with the source information and automatically indicating the supplemental information.