Donald Trump: Washington Post launches Google Chrome extension to fact check President-elect's tweets
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The Washington Post has launched a Google Chrome extension to fact check President-elect Donald Trump's tweets.
Mr Trump uses his Twitter account like no other US politician before him — discussing topics ranging from foreign diplomacy to his distaste for American sketch comedy.
But not all of his tweets are entirely accurate, and considering Mr Trump has 17.4 million followers, one inaccurate tweet could lead to a spread of misinformation and fake news.
To address some of the accuracy concerns, The Post developed the Twitter fact-checker, saying it, "adds context to Trump's not-quite-accurate tweets".
The Post said the extension was, "to help ensure that the public receives the most accurate possible information by creating this extension, which will add more context or corrections to things that Trump tweets".
"Unfortunately, his tweets aren't always entirely accurate, by mistake or by design."
How does the fact check work?
An extension is a software program that changes the functionality of the browser.
Once downloaded, a small icon appears in a browser's toolbar. Clicking on the icon will activate the extension, so when clicking on the tweet, a fact check box will appear directly beneath.
On Friday, Mr Trump took to Twitter to criticise the media for amplifying his potential conflict of interest between his business and his future duty as president.
"The media tries so hard to make my move to the White House, as it pertains to my business, so complex — when actually it isn't!" he tweeted.
The extension corrected Mr Trump, saying: "This is incorrect or false. His advisers have said that it is complex."
The extension is still in the early stages, with The Post encouraging people to point to tweets that could use some explanation.
"This is a work in progress, so don't hesitate to offer feedback and thoughts," The Post said.
The development of the extension was partly driven by claims fake news on social media could have influenced US voters, and journalists have sought to clarify everything from Mr Trump's presidential conflict of interests to his burst of criticism for Vanity Fair.
On Friday, Mr Trump tweeted the magazine was "Way down, big trouble, dead!"
The fact-checker offered context: "This appears to have been in retribution for a bad review of the restaurant in Trump Tower."
Topics: us-elections, world-politics, information-and-communication, journalism, social-media, united-states
