Cofacts (真的假的 / "Really?") is Taiwan's pioneering crowd-sourced fact-checking platform that combines chatbot technology with civic collaboration to combat misinformation. Founded in 2016 by engineers and volunteers from the g0v civic tech community, it represents one of the world's earliest fact-checking chatbot initiatives.
Cofacts operates on a hybrid human-AI model:
- 24/7 Chatbot Response: Users can forward suspicious messages, images, or URLs to the LINE chatbot for instant preliminary responses.
- Crowd-Sourced Verification: A community of volunteers researches and fact-checks submitted content.
- Open Database: All fact-check reports are publicly accessible, creating a transparent knowledge base.
Cofacts began as a g0v (零時政府) civic tech project — Taiwan's renowned open-source community where citizens build tools for public good.
- 2016–: Volunteer-driven community project supported by the Open Culture Foundation (OCF)
Cofacts has become a critical infrastructure in Taiwan's information ecosystem, particularly during election periods and public health crises. By enabling grassroots participation in fact-checking, it demonstrates how civic technology can foster democratic resilience against disinformation .
- Website: cofacts.tw
- Community: g0v.tw — Taiwan's civic tech network.