Misinformation blocked. LIVE!
Browser extension encountering internet trolls that spread misinformation on news websites and social media.
Browser extension encountering internet trolls that spread misinformation on news websites and social media.
Extension works out-of-the-box as widged attached to each web page containing comments
All instructions for processing news hosts and comments are managed remotely on Google Firebase
Extension dashboard provides detailed statistics and additional settings for advanced users and journalists
All code is JavaScript based, executed locally to ensure smooth experience without any delays or crashes
Trolls database undergoes regular updates by our dedicated team of researchers and trusted volunteers
Existing features can be enhanced and new ones seamlessly introduced with no actions required by the end user
Latest set of instructions is downloaded automatically on browser startup. Received data is cached within 24 hours to minimize the load on the server. During that period, the add-on exclusively relies on locally stored information to process comments.
Detrollify v.0.9 available for download here is optimized for peak performance specifically on the Bulgarian news website dnevnik.bg During development, the existing concept underwent successful testing on a variety of other media web pages.
Detrollify was created in order to deliver safer and more enjoyable online environment, protecting users from disruptive and negative interactions during their private browsing experience.
Web media do not confront commenters with trolling behavior, as this could be interpreted as censorship and might decreace traffic to their pages reducing ad revenues. Detrollify takes a different approach, working client-side on the device it is installed on, so it doesn't raise any concerns related to freedom of expression. It is designed to assists individuals facing challenges navigating the communication landscape, ultimately saving time and protecting them from perceiving incorrect or misleading information.
Further development pathways
Ensure database is up-to-date and app is compatible with most popular news sources
Introduce donations and premium features for advanced users and media professionals
Seek and destroy troll comments under Facebook posts and YouTube videos.
Involve fact-checkers to validate news sources and articles, show misinformation live alerts
During times of global uncertainty informational warfare emerged as one of the greatest challenges of our lives. Businesses, organizations and entire governments invest significant resources to impose their agenda both domestically and abroad. Their methods involve traditional media, posts and communities on social media, influencers and plenty of deceptive comments across all of these channels. As a result for the average media users it is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate through the constant flow of words and images, making them a suitable target for manipulation.
For over two years, regular users in the comments section of the Bulgarian news website Dnevnik have been exchanging and supplementing a list of trolls spreading misinformation and propaganda. Detrollify was conceived as a fully automated tool to differentiate between legitimate comments and those made by trolls based on the very same list. During development phase more trolls were uncovered and the existing codebase was revised to be easily adaptable to any online media, regardless of its layout.
The early results revealed the true extent of misinformation carried out by seemingly innocuous comments and highlighted to the team the potential of their idea, encouraging them to transform Detrollify into a primary defence weapon in the era of fake news and post-truth.
Detrollify is a lightweight add-on built via native for all browsers JavaScript programming language, operating on two separate levels:
Browser-wide level
When browser is opened, Detrollify requests remote set of instructions, which are cached into the browser's internal memory for further use.
Single page level
Each time a new web page is loaded in the browser, a tiny piece of code is executed. It crawls through the list of known hosts in order to find a match. If no match is found, the code is terminated. In the case of a match, the script appends a new Widget element to the website that is currently opened, positioning it on the vertical center right next to the scrollbar. The Widget indicates how many comments and troll comments are processed during the user's interaction with the page. Once the Widget is appended, another script crawls through all the comments tagging troll ones.
Depending on user preferences, troll comments might be just tagged and dimmed as harmful, or they can be entirely removed from the web page. All operations mentioned above happen in a matter of milliseconds and do not cause any additional CPU load or disruption in usual interaction with the page. When a user clicks on the Widget element, the extension's Dashboard is opened, providing detailed statistics and further adjustments.
Detrollify is currently developed and supported by a dedicated team of volunteers committed to ensure that no troll gets through the fence. Our team comprises regular commenters, software engineers, and professional journalists. When troll behavior is detected, suspects undergo monitoring by the community. In case all team members unanimously agree that a user matches the online troll criteria, the last one is being added to our blacklist.
Although our approach has demonstrated its effectiveness, we are currently designing a tool that enables users mistakenly blacklisted to provide feedback for potential rehabilitation.
Detrollify works on all modern desktop browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera, and Brave.
Latest versions of some mobile browsers for Android OS also support extensions: Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Samsung Internet, Kiwi.
Currently, none of the iOS browsers support extensions, but we hope they change that soon.
🔒 Detrollify is 100% secure as it neither collects nor sends any user data. Its internet activity is limited to anonymously requesting a list of known hosts. Subsequently, all the magic happens locally, with report data and user settings stored in the browser's local storage for the current domain.
Visit our official page at Chrome Web Store via your favourite web browser and install the usual way.