Mobile World Capital Barcelona develops Fact-Checking Suite to boost the fact-checker ecosystem with the support of Google.org

• MWCapital will develop a digital tool open to the fact-checking community to improve fake news detection.
• Available by 2025, it will help strengthen the Spanish fact-checking and journalism ecosystems in the current scenario marked by disinformation.
• The fact-checking suit is aimed at Spanish news fact-checking organizations, including the media and the public at large. The tool will be able in all of Spain’s co-official languages , such as Catalan, Basque or Galician.

March 1, 2023

During this edition of MWC Barcelona 2023, Mobile World Capital Barcelona has announced its commitment to develop a digital tool to combat fake news in the digital era, supported by Google.org and open to the fact-checker community. Fact-Checking Suite, as it will be called, aims at helping the community verify digital information in a faster way. This tool will increase the reach and impact of fact-checkers, improving their ability to spot disinformation trends and campaigns.

Francesc Fajula, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona, and Miguel Escassi, Director of Public Policies and Institutional Relations of Google Spain, made official Google.org’s financial support to the initiative. Manuel Szapiro, representative of the European Commission in Barcelona, underlined the risk society is exposed to if we don’t tackle the spread of fake information.

Fighting disinformation through technology

Opportunities and advantages abound in the current digital environment: information was never available this fast, nor was the number of information platforms and sources. However, this same environment also endangers citizens’ capacity of decision-making, as their opinion can easily get manipulated. For this reason, strengthening media education and awareness about the risks of unreliable information and sources becomes crucial.

Fact-Checking Suite reflects the importance of technology at the service of people, thus fostering a positive evolution of the digital society.

Aimed at Spanish news fact-checking organizations, including media and civil society, the tool will be available in Spain’s different co-official languages ​​such as Catalan, Basque or Galician.

The (r)evolution of the digital society: building safe, disinformation free environments

During the presentation, the participants also reflected on how safe, fake information-free digital environments can be designed within the framework of the European Union.

The round table was attended by experts such as Ramón Salaverría, professor at the University of Navarra; Clara Neppel, IEEE Europe Senior Director; Cesar Tello, Adigital Director and Andrew Dudfield, Head of Product at FullFact. The round table was moderated by Montse Guardia, Strategy and Society Area Director at ​​MWCapital. Participants agreed on the need for sufficient instruments, initiatives and policies for citizens, media and fact-checkers to successfully  tackle this challenge.

ABOUT MOBILE WORLD CAPITAL BARCELONA

Mobile World Capital Barcelona is an initiative that promotes the digital development of society and helps improve people’s lives globally. With public and private support, MWCapital focuses its activity on four areas: the acceleration of innovation through digital entrepreneurship; industry transformation through digital technology; the growth of digital talent among the new generations and professionals; and reflection on the impact of technology in our society. Taken together, the programs positively transform the economy, education and society. MWCapital hosts MWC in Barcelona and is the founder of 4 Years From Now (4YFN), the business platform for the startup community present at all MWC events around the world.

ABOUT GOOGLE.ORG

Google.org, Google’s philanthropy, supports nonprofits that address humanitarian issues and apply scalable, data-driven innovation to solving the world’s biggest challenges. We accelerate their progress by connecting them with a unique blend of support that includes funding, products, and technical expertise from Google volunteers. We engage with these believers-turned-doers who make a significant impact on the communities they represent, and whose work has the potential to produce meaningful change. We want a world that works for everyone—and we believe technology and innovation can move the needle.