In a moment where all Brazilian news are dubious, National Geographic Brazil wanted to create a tool to help identifying fake news. But it's impossible to fight fake news only by denying them. You have to find the truth behind the words, by checking fake news at the moment they are born. That is why we created the Microphone of Truth.

Since last year, Brazilian political scene was poisoned by fake news. But it's impossible to fight fake news only by denying them. You have to find the truth behind the words, by checking fake news at the moment they are born. So National Geographic, a brand that cares not only about the environment, but also the society, created the Microphone of Truth: a mic capable of measuring if the interviewee is telling the truth in real time. Based on Voice Stress Analysis and heart rate monitor, the mic shows a green light for truth or a red light for a lie. We reinvented the greatest icon of journalism and gave it a new function: turning fake news into just news.

The Microphone of Truth was launched at Brazil's biggest tech event (Campus Party 2019, 140,000 people attendance) and we are creating an open database of all interviews that will be made by the mic, for everyone to see. During 6 months of tests, the gadget presented an 85% accuracy rate. National Geographic has already made a TV Pilot in partnership with a major FTA channel in Brazil to launch a segment of the Microphone of Truth. No politician has accepted to be interviewed. Yet.

The Microphone of Truth was built based on Voice Stress Analysis technology. We, humans, speak on a certain frequency that floates when we are answering stress-related questions, so the mic captures this deviation to discover if someone is trying to be deceptive. With the support of a heart rate monitor, both data are crossed in real time, and the result is shown on the microphone: turning green for truth or red for a lie. In other words, we took the main gadget responsible for capturing voices and reinvented it to be a weapon for journalists on leading interviews. The Microphone of Truth has 85% accuracy rate and was launched on 2019 Campus Party Brazil and is in negotiations with the major FTA TV channel in Brazil to have a segment on its most watched program.