B.S. Detector is a rejoinder to Mark Zuckerberg's dubious claims that Facebook is unable to substantively address the proliferation of fake news on its platform. A browser extension for both Chrome and Mozilla-based browsers, B.S. Detector searches all links on a given webpage for references to unreliable sources, checking against a manually compiled list of domains. It then provides visual warnings about the presence of questionable links or the browsing of questionable websites:
The list of domains powering the B.S. Detector was somewhat indiscriminately compiled from various sources around the web. We are actively reviewing this dataset, categorizing entries, and removing misidentified domains. We thus cannot guarantee complete accuracy of our data at the moment. You can view the complete list here.
Domain classifications include:
- Fake News: Sources that fabricate stories out of whole cloth with the intent of pranking the public.
- Satire: Sources that provide humorous commentary on current events in the form of fake news.
- Extreme Bias: Sources that traffic in political propaganda and gross distortions of fact.
- Conspiracy Theory: Sources that are well-known promoters of kooky conspiracy theories.
- Rumor Mill: Sources that traffic in rumors, innuendo, and unverified claims.
- State News: Sources in repressive states operating under government sanction.
- Junk Science: Sources that promote scientifically dubious claims.
- Hate Group: Sources that actively promote racism, misogyny, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination.
If there are any sites you recommend adding or removing, or if you object to your site being listed, you can file a report here.
Click here to go to the Chrome Web Store and click 'Install.' The plugin is compatible with all Chromium browsers, including Opera (with the Chrome Extension extension).
Installation via the Firefox Add-ons directory coming soon. For now, download a .zip here and follow these instructions to load the add-on.
Install Tampermonkey for Safari, Edge, or any other available browser, then install the Greasemonkey script here.
We welcome pull requests and community collaboration. Before contributing, please review our Code of Conduct. You can chat with other community members in realtime on Gitter here.