The importance of the fight against fake news was shown by the time of the coronavirus pandemic, when false information and conspiracy theories began to appear on the network, trying to prove that, for example, wearing masks is dangerous to health, and the Covid-19 disease is caused by 5G technology. The organizers of the competition want reliable information to be the basis for the opinion of the recipients.
The #FakeHunter Challenge competition is addressed to all Internet users using Polish or English, regardless of age. Within three days, registered teams of up to 5 people, with the help of special application, will report fake news, create fact checking reports, and provide sources of false information.
“COVID-19 infodemia has raised the issue of manipulation and lying online to one of the key global challenges. How we deal with it affects the health and lives of many people today. During the Fakehunter Challenge, we want to propose the most effective ways to prevent, diagnose and neutralize false information. In an attractive, sometimes light form, we want to develop a civic network dealing with the fight against fake news. Therefore, for three days we will try to highlight this phenomenon from every possible angle. After all, we know that in order to successfully combat lies and manipulations, we must understand their nature well beforehand” - explains Wojciech Surmacz, president of PAP.
“Anyone can become a victim of disinformation, which is why it is so important that we all get involved in fighting it. I invite all Internet users to test their perceptiveness and ability to verify facts. Prizes await the best, and everyone - good fun at the same time enjoyed by society” - encourages the Prime Minister's Plenipotentiary for GovTech Justyna Or?owska.
The contest consists of 4 competitions: the first is a fake news hunt. In this competition, points are awarded for the number of entries entered into the FakeHunter system from the area of the subject categories provided in the competition, which the jury deems as verifiable.
"Fact checking challenge" - this competition is a combination of fake hunt with the verification of applications carried out by the competition participants, issuing verdicts and preparing fact checking reports according to the rules of the #FakeHunter system.
Another competition is called "Improve FakeHunter", where participants, in accordance with the "Policy of corrections", can verify already published reports on the #FakeHunter service from the beginning of its existence and present alternative verdicts and sources.
The last competition is named "Find the real source of fake news", which consists of tracing the original, real source of fake news, verified as fake news on #FakeHunter or by the jury, and presenting evidence and materials to prove it.
The #FakeHunter Challenge will take place on November 13th – 15th as part of the GovTech Festival planned for the entire November, which aims to spread knowledge and interest in digitization, modern technologies and innovations.
The score awarded by the jury will decide about the winners of the competition. Great prizes to win - the organizers encourage.
