The almost ephemeral nature of information that exists only electronically makes validating it a thorny issue. Although I am not sure exactly how this standardization activity is going to be accomplished, I believe that several scenarios are definitely not going to be viable candidates. To begin with, the idea of standardization of the use of information is loaded with cultural baggage, bringing up shades of censorship and thought control. Yet the concept is much simpler than that. Essentially, the principle is that there has to be a way to validate data before you use it.
People tend to trust encyclopedias and dictionaries more than tabloid newspapers.
At the same time, everyone remembers writing term papers in which you disguised a source or made up a quote, reasoning that even if a person hadn't said such a thing, they should have. All of this is part of the process of judging the value of information. In The Count of Monte Cristo , Alexandre Dumas described how the count bribed a semaphore operator to change a message, indicating that Spain had revolted. By manipulating the transmission of the data, the count managed to manipulate the information that was derived from the data. This, in turn, led to Danglers' losing several million francs in the ensuing momentary panic and market correction.