London — Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and Craigslist co-founder Craig Newmark are investing in London-based fact-checking start-up Factmata, the company said on Thursday, declining to disclose either the amount of the investment or the valuation of the deal. "It’s critical for societal progress to proactively address misinformation," Stone said in a statement provided by Factmata. He said the company is "approaching the issue with exactly the right combination of big thinking, focus, and cutting-edge science". Factmata aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help social media companies, publishers and advertising networks weed out fake news, propaganda and clickbait. The company says its technology can also help detect online bullying and hate speech. Founded last year, the company is one of a growing number of big technology firms, start-ups and non-governmental organisations looking to combat the spread of fraudulent news stories on digital platforms. The US government is inve...

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