Why We Need Credible Sources In Web3 Media

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We're all familiar with the internet: it's a vast, sprawling place—a Wild West of information! And as with any frontier, there are bound to be some bad actors out there. But how can you trust the information you find?

Violet Summer

By Violet Summer

BY VIOLET SUMMER

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March 15, 2023

MARCH 15, 2023

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Last updated April 7, 2023

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Five ways to verify your sources using Web3 technology and protocol

Misinformation and fact-checking is the biggest threat to international journalism when documenting true accounts of internet culture and history. For a few years, I've been writing about how false narratives going viral have a lasting effect on disenfranchised communities. It doesn't surprise me that so many people are gullible because they read something on a webpage and think it has to be true. CNN-Dupe! And now that we are settling into the information age, there's so much information on Twitter, The Shaderoom, and what that guy told us on Discord; it's becoming harder to identify the truth from a lie. Moreover, content creators are responsible for reporting the facts or not saying anything at all, or they, too, could be subjected to public ridicule or, even worse - sued. 

 

Since privacy and data identity is at the forefront of Web3 social ethics, blockchain writers and journalists have a new skill to add to their duty. Quoting credible and authentic sources in Web3 can be tricky. Traditional source checking would include calling the person to verify their identity or looking them up on Linkedin. As a features writer, several years ago, I even had to submit the interview questions and audio so that the copy editor could verify what was proposed in my story to be at least accurate.  However, in Web3, keeping your source subject private has become paramount with the rising popularity of crypto thought leaders wanting to remain synonymous online. So how do we verify tips, data, and NFTs in Web3? There are a few roads that Web3 content creators can go down. 

 

Here are five ways to verify your sources in Web3. 

 

1. Verifying wallet address and NFT collection: If you want to confirm that a human owns an account, you can look up the wallet address for that user and check the wallet balance (if you know what it should be). To confirm ownership legitimacy, you can also check if they own any non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from their wallet address. This method is only partially secure because it compares the account balance versus what would be expected based on other factors such as social media accounts or additional public information.

 

2. Verifying on Twitter: Web3 content creators can verify their source's Twitter account by confirming the email address associated with it, linking it with a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile (if they have one), and adding a verified badge/checkmark/icon next to their name/handle, so readers will know they're legit.

 

3. Checking transactions: Web3 content creators can check their sources' transaction history on Etherscan or whatever network explorer by searching for their wallet address and checking to see if they are an expert in the crypto space.

 

4. You sign a digital signature with zero-knowledge proof to verify that the source is a human after chatting on Telegram with them for days about a developing protocol hack. Zero-knowledge proofs are an over-arching concept in multi-party computation without revealing more than what you need to achieve the tasks online. It plays a massive role in cryptography and states that because the person uses ZKPs, they behave honestly.

 

5. If you need clarification on whether or not your source is credible or just FUD, double-check their claims by cross-referencing them with another credible source that has confirmed those claims before publishing them yourself! 

 

There's a tremendous level of mistrust in society, and Web3 and Blockchain technology, paired with the power of media, this can help alleviate misinformation. 

Resources

Join the Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers and connect with the group on Twitter.

Apply to be a full member here: https://airtable.com/shr78LG0CrvTXNgoM

Tap into the conversation on Telegram

 

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