Site offers bounties for determining the veracity of public claims

TruthMarket is a platform where users can pledge to pay for others to find evidence for or against the unverified statements of public and influential figures.

In a world where information is power, truth can be a valuable commodity, especially when it comes to politics. We’ve already seen the Bribespot app enable crowds to geotag corruption when they see it, and now TruthMarket is a platform where users can pledge to pay for others to find evidence for or against the unverified statements of public and influential figures. Users logging on to the site can explore existing claims being contested – currently ranging from specific arguments such as Obama’s real birthplace to broader questions surrounding the causes of climate change – and support those they think need settling. Users can set up a campaign to support a true statement (TS) under attack or to dispel a bogus statement (BS) being peddled as truth by a public figure. A funding target is set and supporters of the campaign can pledge to contribute to a bounty to entice others to challenge their position with verifiable evidence. Once the target is reached, detractors have a limited time to find proof that the campaign is wrong. If they do, they win the bounty; if they don’t, 20 percent of the pot is awarded to the campaign creator, with the remaining 80 percent distributed back among the sponsors. Although the site perhaps won’t be settling every dispute, TruthMarket rewards those working on the side of truth and offers a way for others to fund campaigns backing their opinion with facts. How else could people be encouraged to educate themselves before taking a firm position on one side of an argument?