<p>Google plans to rank websites on its search engine based on factual accuracy, a move that will prevent sites full of misinformation from appearing first in search results.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The search engine currently uses the number of incoming links to a web page as a proxy for quality, determining where it appears in search results. So pages that many other sites link to are ranked higher.<br /><br />The disadvantage of the system is that websites full of misinformation can rise up the rankings, if enough people link to them, 'New Scientist' reported.<br /><br />The trustworthiness of a web page might help it rise up Google's rankings if the search giant starts to measure quality by facts.<br /><br />A Google research team is adapting that model to measure the trustworthiness of a page, rather than its reputation across the web.<br /><br />Instead of counting incoming links, the system will count the number of incorrect facts within a page.<br /><br />The score they compute for each page is its Knowledge-Based Trust score. The software works by tapping into the Knowledge Vault, the vast store of facts that Google has pulled off the internet.<br /><br />Those facts which the web unanimously agrees on are considered a reasonable proxy for truth. Web pages that contain contradictory information are bumped down the rankings.</p>
<p>Google plans to rank websites on its search engine based on factual accuracy, a move that will prevent sites full of misinformation from appearing first in search results.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The search engine currently uses the number of incoming links to a web page as a proxy for quality, determining where it appears in search results. So pages that many other sites link to are ranked higher.<br /><br />The disadvantage of the system is that websites full of misinformation can rise up the rankings, if enough people link to them, 'New Scientist' reported.<br /><br />The trustworthiness of a web page might help it rise up Google's rankings if the search giant starts to measure quality by facts.<br /><br />A Google research team is adapting that model to measure the trustworthiness of a page, rather than its reputation across the web.<br /><br />Instead of counting incoming links, the system will count the number of incorrect facts within a page.<br /><br />The score they compute for each page is its Knowledge-Based Trust score. The software works by tapping into the Knowledge Vault, the vast store of facts that Google has pulled off the internet.<br /><br />Those facts which the web unanimously agrees on are considered a reasonable proxy for truth. Web pages that contain contradictory information are bumped down the rankings.</p>