Show HN: IsItCap – A Free, Automated Fact-Checker for Misinformation | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: IsItCap – A Free, Automated Fact-Checker for Misinformation

isitcap.com

2 pointsthealecpow3 comments

I think you should reach out to science and education influencers. At very least they can give you site feedback. If they like it, you might find opportunities to promote the site. I'd be interested to see what Tom Scott says (see his RI presentation: "There is No Algorithm for Truth").

If you want to aggressively promote it, setup some bots that fact check posts from popular figures known for spreading misinformation. Lead with the credibility score for their claims, give the briefest explanation possible, and link to the full report on the site. Be prepared to be very unpopular with some groups that don't care about any kind of analysis or evidence, but trust that you'll reach others who do.

Good luck!

Some honest (if blunt) feedback:

- You need to debug your react code. Something is constantly running. Your site shouldn't hit 100% CPU usage when sitting idle. This isn't just a performance issue, it's also a credibility issue.

- Rework the floating elements on report pages ("Try Another Analysis", "Credibility Score", "Other Reports"). Depending on the dimensions of the viewport, these cover the page's content, making it unreadable. This is also a credibility issue. Credible sites don't bombard the user with popups.

Very cool ideas to be honest! I took your advice and went through the react code. I don't know if everything is fixed, but I did find some memory leaks that would take my ram to 100% in idle. Very bad UX, thank you for the tip! As for the bots themselves, any tips on what would work for building these bots? What stack should I go for?

I spent the last 3 months building IsItCap.com, a tool designed to help users quickly assess the credibility of news stories. It automatically analyzes articles for potential biases, flags questionable claims, and compares mainstream reporting with alternative perspectives.

What It Does

- Automated Fact-Checking: Paste in a URL or headline, and get a quick read on its likely veracity. - Bias & Angle Detection: Highlights potential biases and hidden angles that might be influencing the narrative. - Dual Perspectives: Shows both mainstream and alternative viewpoints to provide a more complete picture.

Why I Built It

Misinformation is spreading faster than ever, and even the best human fact-checkers can’t keep up. I built IsItCap to help cut through the noise and give people a tool to more quickly gauge what’s true. The tool works well, but now I’m hitting a wall when it comes to marketing and growth. What I Need

I’m looking for honest feedback from this community:

- Product Feedback: Are there features you’d add or tweaks you’d suggest to improve the user experience or the accuracy of the analysis? - Growth Strategies: What are some effective, low-cost ways to drive traction for a niche tool like this? I’m especially interested in your thoughts on reaching users who care about quality information without resorting to heavy self-promotion. - Monetization Ideas: I want to keep it free and accessible, but I also need a sustainable model to continue development. Any creative ideas on this front?

I’d really appreciate any constructive feedback or ideas. You can check it out at IsItCap.com.

Thanks for taking a look, and I’m looking forward to your insights!

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