Apple SVP Eddy Cue says tech companies have special responsibility to tackle fake news

Apple’s senior vice president for software and services Eddy Cue has said that technology companies have a special responsibility to ensure that people receive the correct news.

Speaking at the Code Media conference in California, Cue said, “We wanted Apple News to be available to everyone, but we wanted to vet and be sure that the Apple News providers are legitimate. We’re very concerned about all the clickbait and how that’s driving a lot of the news coverage.”

According to Cue since a lot of people today depend on their devices and the services provided through those devices, to get news, it is pertinent for technology companies to see that as a special responsibility. Cue acknowledged that even though companies still had no clear answers on how to tackle fake news, there was a need to keep working at it.

Recently Apple CEO Tim Cook had stated how fake news is ‘ killing people’s mind s’ and it makes it important to have campaigns to educate people and work towards changing the public attitude to online news stories.

“We are going through this period of time right here where unfortunately some of the people that are winning are the people that spend their time trying to get the most clicks, not tell the most truth. It’s killing people’s minds in a way,” Cook said. He called on those tech firms which have not contributed much towards curbing the fake news, asking them to create tools that help diminish the volume of fake news.

Apple has also announced a new reality TV show called ‘ Planet of the Apps ’, which will start airing on Apple Music. It is a talent hunt show where celebrities - Will.i.am, Gwyneth Paltrow, Gary Vaynerchuk and Jessica Alba - judge up and coming apps by developers followed by mentorship and ultimately pitching these ideas to venture capitalists for a $10mn funding.

On being asked if this was a hint about Apple planning to buy out some film studio and getting into making films and TV shows, Cue responded in the negative.

Cue said that the show was a means to promote Apple Music and offer something unique that hasn’t been seen on TV before. “We are trying to do something that’s unique, takes advantage of our platforms and that really brings culture to it. Right now we think we can do that with partners like Ben (Silverman, who is the shows producer) and we don’t see that anywhere else,” said Cue.