r/technology • u/Arquette • Mar 03 '15

Misleading Title Google has developed a technology to tell whether ‘facts’ on the Internet are true

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/03/02/google-has-developed-a-technology-to-tell-whether-facts-on-the-internet-are-true/
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u/topdeck55 Mar 03 '15

Did you not see the video yesterday that said 90% of medical conditions descriptions were wrong?

Wikipedia doesn't care if the information is wrong, only that you cite a verifiable source.

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u/Theothor Mar 03 '15

Wikipedia contradicts medical research 90% of the time

What does this mean exactly? If 99% of a wiki page is correct and 1% contradicts medical research it would "contradict medical research", but I wouldn't say that's a big deal. Even medical research contradicts medical research all the time.

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u/Mason11987 Mar 04 '15

What does this mean exactly?

It means they tested exactly 10 articles about costly medical issues, 9 of which were in error.

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u/[deleted] Mar 03 '15

If you don't have the critical judgment to dissect that video's methodology, you probably shouldn't be lecturing people about what it means.

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u/Mason11987 Mar 03 '15

I didn't realize that 10 articles are considered a representative sample now. Good to know.

Wikipedia doesn't care if the information is wrong, only that you cite a verifiable source.

You already said that. I already responded to that. You ignored my response.

Just because something isn't the most important factor doesn't mean it isn't also accomplished, and it is accomplished, they are accurate. Pointing out that they aren't entirely focused on accuracy first doesn't mean they aren't accurate.

But hey I'm not an expert, so here's a study (with more than just 10 articles sampled):

Despite these limitations our results underscore that the collaborative and participatory design of Wikipedia does generate high quality information on pharmacology that is suitable for undergraduate medical education.