Microsoft has included a feature in its newest mobile web browser that cautions users against reading The Daily Mail, prompting pushback Wednesday from the British tabloid.
The latest version of Edge for iOS and Android devices includes an optional browser extension, NewsGuard, that displays a warning when users visit the websites of outlets deemed journalistically unsound.
Edge users with NewsGuard enabled are shown a red flag when they visit The Daily Mail and its sister publication, along with a “nutrition label” outlining the reasons for the rating, The Guardian first reported.
“Proceed with caution: this website generally fails to maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability,” reads the warning displayed when users visit The Daily Mail.
“The site repeatedly publishes false information and has been forced to pay damages in numerous high-profile cases,” the warning says.
The Daily Mail disputed the rating in a statement issued by a spokesman for its website, Mail Online, The Guardian reported.
“We have only very recently become aware of the NewsGuard start-up and are in discussions with them to have this egregiously erroneous classification resolved as soon as possible,” said the Mail Online spokesman.
Designed to counter the spread of fake news and misinformation, NewsGuard’s has rated over 2,000 sites on nine journalistic criteria, including whether they have a reputation for publishing false content and correcting errors, among other factors, using a team of professional journalists and editors.
“We spell out fairly clearly in the label exactly how many times we have attempted to contact them,” Newsguard co-founder Steve Brill told the Guardian about his team’s effort to reach The Daily Mail. “The analyst that wrote this writeup got someone on the phone who, as soon he heard who she was and where she was calling from, hung up. As of now, we would love to hear if they have a complaint or if they change anything.
“They can blame us. And we’re happy to be blamed,” Mr. Brill said. “Unlike the platforms, we’re happy to be accountable.”
Microsoft has offered Edge users the option of installing NetGuard on desktop browsers since last year, but the company only recently began including the feature in its mobile apps.
“Microsoft is partnering with NewsGuard to offer the NewsGuard browser extension on Microsoft Edge, and a feature in Microsoft Edge mobile apps for iOS and Android to help our customers evaluate news sources,” Microsoft said in a statement. “Across both the browser and the apps, NewsGuard is optional and customers need to take action if they want to use the feature.”
The Daily Mail has faced similar criticism in the past, notably Wikipedia’s decision in 2017 that the tabloid should be “generally prohibited” as a reference.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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