Apple CEO Wants To Launch A Counter-Attack Against Fake News

Fake news has been on the minds of many Americans and internet users around the world since President Donald Trump’s controversial win. Not only is it being blamed for his victory, thus garnering the attention of world leaders who want it stamped out, the phrase “Fake News” is even being used by the current administration on credible publications that are critical of Trump. Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed his sentiments about the trend of misinformation, saying that there should be a counterattack.

Misinformation has been a part of the internet since its inception, but the idea that it could influence entire elections was considered ridiculous in the past. With one of the greatest upsets in the history of US presidential elections, however, this notion has been effectively dispelled. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Cook said that it’s time for the tech industry to do something about fake news.

“We are going through this period of time right here where unfortunately some of the people that are winning are the people that spend their time trying to get the most clicks, not tell the most truth,” the Apple CEO said. “It’s killing people’s minds in a way.”

In response, the tech figure wants to mobilize a campaign that would effectively push back against the spread of misinformation through social media, search engines, and video hosting sites. Cook is convinced that if the tech industry, as a whole, rallies behind the idea, the effects of fake news and fraudulent content can be counteracted in short order.

Cook doesn’t just want to address fake news on the internet either since the trend has started bleeding into the mainstream media courtesy of the current administration. When Trump’s spokesperson Kellyanne Conway proclaimed that there was an incident called the “Bowling Green Massacre,” for example, it immediately took off among Trump supporters.

The matter was quickly debunked on Twitter, Recode notes, and Conway herself had acknowledged that she simply “misspoke,” but the damage has been done. In a recent poll, up to 23 percent of Americans believe that the event did happen even though there is absolutely no proof that it did.