Taiwan-based blockchain content verification company Numbers Protocol has announced a project to ensure the public has access to reliable and credible news for the upcoming presidential election on Jan 13.
This will be achieved through the implementation of a decentralized blockchain-based verification platform for digital media content and partnerships with local photojournalists and news media reporting on the election, Numbers Protocol said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the statement, Numbers Protocol will utilize the same technology used on similar initiatives for the 2020 United States Presidential election and an Emmy-nominated project with Rolling Stone magazine to preserve evidence of war crimes in Bosnia.
During the six-week project will take place between November 20th and Jan 13, news media and journalists will capture content in the field.
This content will then be uploaded to the blockchain using the Numbers Protocol tools: Capture Cam and Capture Dashboard.
These tools serve to verify the authenticity of digital media content and detect any manipulation by artificial intellignece (AI).
To further increase the resilience of reporting, metadata, including information on who created what will be securely archived on the decentralized web, forming an accessible historical digital archive.
These providence records also gift photojournalists with an opportunity to monetize and license their work.
It is noted that Numbers Protocol has already secured the following partnerships for the project: local media giant, SETN, non-profit news organization The Reporter, independent photojournalists working with EyePress News Agency and national news agency Central News Agency(CNA).
According to the statement, due to its problematic political situation, few places in the world feel the pressures of media interference more than Taiwan.
Cited a survey conducted in 2023, it found that 82.8 percent of Taiwanese received misinformation in the previous year, and over 90 percent believe that the impact of false information on society is either “serious” or “extremely serious”.
It noted that disinformation reached record levels during the period of the controversial 2022 visit to Taipei by United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the ensuing Chinese military drills, with Taiwanese defense officials identifying over 270 online claims as “false”.
It is noted that in the coming year, 40 national elections are scheduled, encompassing 41 percent of the global population and 43 percent of the world’s gross domestic product.
These elections are expected to face similar challenges related to disinformation and media interference.
Numbers Protocol hopes to position this Taiwan Election project as an example of how blockchain technology can be leveraged to ensure the credibility of media content during such critical events.
“Media interference and manipulation is, unfortunately, our daily reality in Taiwan, and increasingly the general public is losing faith in the credibility of the news,” Numbers Protocol Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer Sofia Yan said.
“With this platform, we aim to demonstrate the potential of blockchain technology to restore trust in news media by verifying the authenticity and origin of digital content,
“If Taiwan can prove the credibility of its media during the election, it has the potential to serve as a role model for other countries,” she added.
Since launching in 2019, Numbers Protocol has secured the integrity of more than 100,000 items of digital content on the blockchain and supports more than 50,000 daily queries.
Numbers Protocol is a firm utilizes blockchain technology to preserve the provenance of digital media, ensuring transparency and trust.
It enables verification of the content creator and also detects potential manipulation by AI.
Numbers Protocol’s mission is to help restore trust in the media, at a time when it’s at its lowest.
The company raised a total of $7.2 million in pre-A rounds that included Protocol Labs and founders of Twitch, YouTube, and HTC Vive.