"THE GREATEST ENEMY OF KNOWLEDGE IS NOT IGNORANCE, IT IS THE ILLUSION OF KNOWLEDGE."
Stephen Hawking
THE CONTEXT
In recent years, the world has faced an escalating crisis of misinformation. From political manipulation and growing distrust in science to social unrest, climate denial, and conspiracy theories, fake news has become a powerful force, shaping opinions, distorting facts, and eroding trust.
The consequences are serious: misinformation can incite violence, deepen divisions, and block meaningful progress on the most urgent challenges of our time.
Now imagine a world where anyone, anywhere, can verify what they read, without breaking their flow, where clarity is not just available, but embedded directly where misinformation spreads.
This is not a utopia. It is an achievable reality—made possible through The CERTIFY Community Project.
THE CERTIFY COMMUNITY PROJECT
The CERTIFY Community Project is a collaborative fact-checking platform that clarifies the digital world. It connects experts and informed individuals with the wider public to verify online content in real time.
At its core, it functions as a discussion layer—a browser extension and mobile app that integrates seamlessly into social media feeds and online articles.
Instead of redirecting users to external sites, the CERTIFY Community Project delivers reliable, transparent context where needed most. With a single click, users can access expert insights, confidence ratings, and public dialogue right alongside the original content.
WHY IT MATTERS
Fake news thrives on silence and speed. The CERTIFY Community Project responds with transparency, collaboration, and shared accountability, enabling a wide range of contributors from across civil society to assess and clarify online information, visibly and constructively.
This is not a closed circle of experts. On CERTIFY, teachers, researchers, healthcare professionals, students, retirees, and engaged citizens can all take part. Anyone with relevant knowledge or lived experience can contribute. By encouraging real-name participation, the platform fosters trust, open dialogue, and responsible information-sharing.
THE STORY BEHIND THE SOLUTION
The CERTIFY Community Project emerged in 2016 from Fayez Alrafeea's PhD research in Information Systems at the University of Geneva. It was driven by a clear need for a decentralized, independent approach to assessing media credibility grounded in participation rather than control. In 2020, Fayez Alrafeea and Basile Zimmermann, his former thesis supervisor and now CEO, co-founded a company under the same name to bring the project to life and scale its impact on society as a whole.
Unlike traditional fact-checking websites, the platform is designed for integration and interaction. It's more than a tool—a living framework for collective intelligence, where communities engage with information critically, publicly, and respectfully.
Behind the CERTIFY Community Project is a diverse, cross-disciplinary team with expertise in software development, information systems, UX design, product development, AI, and game design, combined with backgrounds in linguistics, journalism, misinformation research, business strategy, brand building, humanities, and social sciences.
This unique blend of skills bridges innovation, research, and real-world usability to build a platform that is as practical as it is impactful in today's digital landscape.
A VISION WITHIN REACH
To build a world where knowledge is visible, trust is restored, and every individual can navigate information with confidence.
Misinformation erodes our ability to connect, decide, and act collectively. We envision a digital space where facts are accessible, dialogue is respectful, and knowledge is shaped by collaboration, not distortion.
The CERTIFY Community Project represents a new way of engaging with knowledge online. It's not about censorship or gatekeeping, it's about connection, credibility, and context.
In a time of growing polarization, the CERTIFY Community Project offers something essential: a shared commitment to clarity, responsibility, and better information.
JOIN US
The CERTIFY Community Project is currently in a closed beta phase, focused on testing, user feedback, and final development. While not yet publicly available, the platform will be going live soon. If you're interested in learning more, staying informed, or getting involved, we'd love to hear from you.