Nice! If this is your first encounter with the name, then I suppose an introduction is in order. NewsGuard is an internet news watchdog service that is putting up a fight against misinformation on the web.
It’s been at the forefront of fake news, and recently escalated its battle against false information regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. It opened a Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center, dropped its paywall and offered its service for free to all internet users until July 1.
But that’s not even the best bit.
Until recently, Microsoft Edge mobile users on Android and iOS had unlimited free access to the service. Desktop users had to pay $2.95 a month for the subscription, which enabled credibility and transparency content scoring, and displayed check marks next to the links.
Like so:
But that’s not even the best bit, no sir.
The real news is that, as of May 14, all users of Microsoft Edge have unlimited use of NewsGuard for free. It matters not whether they are on mobile or using the desktop versions of the browser.
All you have to do is download the extension from the store and deploy it on Edge.
NewsGuard co-CEO, Gordon Crovitz:
“We are delighted to be able to expand our relationship with Microsoft, which is a leader among companies in taking steps to address the unforeseen, unintended consequences of new technologies. The internet has empowered people around the world with unprecedented access to information, but the internet has also made it easier than ever for misinformation to spread, including health care hoaxes about COVID-19.”
Under this new agreement with Microsoft, the Bing search engine will also now have access to a real-time feed of NewsGuard data. Meaning, alongside unrestricted use of the service for all of Edge userbase, you can expect to see NewsGuard ratings across all Microsoft properties.
Now that’s what I call news!
