Going forward, regular users of Microsoft's Edge mobile browser for iOS can opt to receive warnings when they visit untrustworthy news sites.

microsoft edge ios android
The company's browser is integrating NewsGuard, a green-red rating system founded by journalists Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz that evaluates websites using a set of criteria, including the use of deceptive headlines, fake news history, and financial and ownership transparency.

NewsGuard also provides "Nutrition Label" write-ups of more than 2,000 news and information sites that account for 96 percent of online engagement in the U.S. in English.

NewsGuard has existed for some time as an optional privacy extension for Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge desktop browsers, but Microsoft's decision to integrate it into its mobile browser as an optional setting signals a growing concern for preventing users' exposure to purveyors of false or misleading news or disinformation online. A Microsoft spokesperson said:

"Microsoft is partnering with NewsGuard to offer the NewsGuard browser extension on Microsoft Edge, and a feature in Microsoft Edge mobile apps for iOS and Android to help our customers evaluate news sources. Across both the browser and the apps, NewsGuard is optional and customers need to take action if they want to use the feature."

As an example of NewsGuard's yardstick for untrustworthiness, The Guardian reports the Edge mobile is now warning users that the Daily Mail's website, Mail Online, "generally fails to maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability" and "has been forced to pay damages in numerous high-profile cases." Visitors to Russia's state-sponsored RT News website receive a similar warning.

Responding to NewsGuard's warning, a Daily Mail spokesperson provided MacRumors with the following statement:

"We have only very recently become aware of the NewsGuard start-up and are in discussions with them to have this egregiously erroneous classification resolved as soon as possible."

NewsGuard's Steven Brill told The Guardian it takes full responsibility for its ratings. "They can blame us. And we're happy to be blamed," he said. "Unlike the platforms we're happy to be accountable. We want people to game our system. We are totally transparent. We are not an algorithm."

(Via The Verge.)

Top Rated Comments

MacManiac1 Avatar
67 months ago
This is good for the three people who will use Edge. ;-)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaz911 Avatar
67 months ago
Newsguard is not objective - it is rated by humans and seems like most humans have a LOT of bias these days.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
67 months ago
Also good for those of us who read the article and are installing the extension. ;)

Edit: Never mind. They gave Faux News a green light, so they apparently don't actually do their stated purpose of warning you of untrustworthy sites. #uninstalled
*sigh*

Yeah. Any attempt at this kind of plugin is utterly pointless, because people are only looking for something that confirms what they already believe. Absolutely no point in it.

I'm not saying Fox is trustworthy, but that you have an immediate knee jerk reaction like that to anything it says means that it's hopeless. Not you. Humanity. Our brains just aren't wired to handle things we disagree with. It's amazing. Social media has to have the ability to block people - people just can't deal with the possibility that there are differing opinions.

It's shocking that Democracy or civilization works at all with such tribalism.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
67 months ago
This won’t fix the problem. People choose what to believe or not based on their preconceived world view.

If they don’t like the content of an article and NewsGuard labels it as fraud, people will cite NewsGuard as why not to trust it.

If they do like the article, they’ll ignore NewsGuard calling it flawed, or be angry at NewsGuard, calling it biased.

Don’t like an article but NewsGuard says it’s true? NewsGuard is wrong.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Zedcars Avatar
67 months ago
Amusing to see that it did actually blacklist the Daily Mail, one of the UK's most popular tabloid newspapers.
It’s f***ing hilarious!

"[The Daily Mail] generally fails to maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability”

Never a truer word spoken.

About time that filthy journalistic embarrassment got blocked!

It’s just a shame it’s only the website, and not the “newspaper” itself.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NightFox Avatar
67 months ago
Amusing to see that it did actually blacklist the Daily Mail, one of the UK's most popular tabloid newspapers.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...