The National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics (ICI) Bucharest and AGERPRES National News Agency, with the support of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization (MCID), are launching on Monday the project "Agerpres Daily News | Hold History", which aims to combat disinformation and promote quality journalism through the use of blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFT).
"In an era when disinformation and fake news are gaining more and more ground, ICI Bucharest and AGERPRES National News Agency, with the support of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, are launching the "Agerpres Daily News | Hold History" project on Monday, 21 October 2024, at 11:00 am, at the Victoria Palace of Government. The initiative aims to combat disinformation and promote quality journalism through the use of blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFT)," reads an ICI Bucharest press release.
The project aims to transform authentic and verified news into unique NFTs, giving media consumers the possibility to collect and hold some of the most relevant moments of daily news. Each NFT will represent a selection of the most important news of the day, provided by a trusted source, and will include a digital certificate of authenticity, guaranteed by blockchain technology, which prevents the information from being altered or manipulated.
Blockchain technology ensures the transparency and security of information, guaranteeing that distributed knowledge cannot be altered later on.
"Disinformation is one of the major challenges of the digital age. The use of blockchain technology in the fight against disinformation allows for transparent and verifiable recording of information. In addition to the #nofake platform, already launched by MCID, today we are taking another important step towards a safer and better informed digital ecosystem," said Bogdan Ivan, Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalization, quoted in the press release.
Every day, a team of experienced journalists will select the most important news stories, which will be transformed into NFTs. These NFTs will be available on the ICI D|Services platform, the first institutional platform in Europe dedicated to digital asset management and trading.
"We are at a critical moment in the fight against disinformation. By launching this project, we want to offer a modern solution that combines blockchain technology with quality journalism. Agerpres Daily News | Hold History is more than a digital collection project, it is a manifesto for truth and transparency in the media," said Adrian-Victor Vevera, Managing Director of ICI Bucharest.
The project aims to become an educational and informative tool, helping citizens to distinguish between accurate information and fake news, using NFTs to disseminate authentic information quickly and creatively. Surprises for NFT collectors will also be announced on Monday, the press release further shows.