Bytedance will pay you to write about – and debunk – fake news

Fake news is everywhere on social platforms. Facebook’s plan to fight involves a War Room bringing together employees from multiple teams.

But China’s most popular news aggregator, Jinri Toutiao, has a different approach – cash.

One of China’s most popular news apps, Toutiao uses AI algorithms to generate an endless story feed for its 120 million daily users. It’s run by Bytedance, the company behind viral short-video app TikTok.

Jinri Toutiao launched a initiative called 100 (or Rumor Zero Zero) that will offer cash rewards between US$40 and US$440 to the 100 best articles that can help quash rumors online – a problem that’s plagued the site since the beginning.

It comes amid pressure put on platform operators by the Chinese government’s sweeping crackdown on online content. With the world’s biggest internet population and largest number of mobile subscribers, China has seen the central government tighten its grip on all online content, from news and celebrity gossip to off-color jokes.​

The app’s management has banned 9,026 accounts and intercepted more than 500,000 articles containing rumors since May, through the use of both human censors and AI technology. It has so far commended several media outlets, such as the People’s Daily and online education site Guokr, for helping battle the spread of pseudoscience online.

Bytedance is also battling online rumors and misinformation outside China. Its international products, Topbuzz and Helo, have also come under fire for fake news. India-based Helo, for example, was accused of inciting fatal mob attacks in the country.

Last year, Bytedance’s US news platform Topbuzz was criticized for carrying news that were either conspiracy theories or just plain false, including Yoko Ono’s confession that she had an affair with Hilary Clinton in the 1970s. In September, Topbuzz decided to clean up its act by removing 2.6 million pieces of content and 4,600 accounts.

Fake news at Helo, however, has turned into a much bigger problem. The Hindustan Times found Helo displaying false quotes or graphic images designed to provoke outrage along religious lines, manipulating the longstanding tensions between Hindus and Muslims in the country. India has seen a number of violent incidents recently stirred up by online rumors.

Bytedance told Abacus that it recognizes the problem and is working to fix it. In preparation for India’s general elections in 2019, the platform is partnering with a local, non-partisan fact-checking partner authority.

Still, some believe that Bytedance is treating the symptom, not the illness which is their business model.

“Their unique selling point is that they target content for users, based on what they are likely to click on, and even tailor headlines for them,” said Elliot Zaagman, executive coach and host of the China Tech Investor podcast. “This, regardless of whether it is fake or true, encourages sensationalism and outrage-mongering.”

Zaagman, however, credited Bytedance with doing a lot to clean up the content on Jinri Toutiao. The company has been targeted by regulators several times and even shut down for 24 hours in December last year.