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The Edge browser on mobile devices warns users not to trust content from the Daily Mail, as part of Microsoft's attempt to fight the spread of fake news.

Visitors to the Mail Online via Edge's iOS or Android app will see a small shield icon in the URL bar at the top of the screen. Tapping it will reveal the message: "Proceed with caution: this website generally fails to maintain basic standards of accuracy and accountability."

A more detailed warning then tells users that the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, and Mail Online "repeatedly publishes false information and has been forced to pay damages in numerous high profile cases." It also fails to "handle the difference between news and opinion responsibly" and does not reveal "who's in charge, including any possible conflicts of interest."

The rating is provided by NewsGuard, a third-party application headed by ex-journalists from the Yale Journalism Initiative and The Wall Street Journal, which employs analysts to manually check whether sites meet an array of journalistic standards. All judgements are made public, and outlets are invited to respond to their criticism.

Previously, the service was only available as a downloadable plug-in, but Microsoft is now providing it pre-installed within the mobile app. It is not on by default, however; users will need to go into the settings pane and enable it under the "News rating."

In a statement to The Guardian, NewsGuard co-founder Steve Brill said that: “We spell out fairly clearly in the label exactly how many times we have attempted to contact them. The analyst that wrote this writeup got someone on the phone who, as soon he heard who she was and where she was calling from, hung up. As of now, we would love to hear if they have a complaint or if they change anything.”

“They can blame us. And we’re happy to be blamed. Unlike the platforms we’re happy to be accountable. We want people to game our system. We are totally transparent. We are not an algorithm.”

NewsGuard does not receive fees from the websites it rates; rather, its revenue comes from platforms and search engines licensing our ratings. It also claims not to collect any personal information from those who use the browser plug-in.

While the Daily Mail and its sister publications have received a poor rating, other UK news websites such as the Daily Express, The Telegraph, The Sun, The Mirror, are yet to be rated.

The Guardian has been rated positively, saying that "this website generally maintains basic standards of accuracy and accountability." The Independent has been rated nearly has highly, but marked down for failing to disclose ownership and financing of the website, and revealing conflicts of interest.

Nevertheless, the Daily Mail remains a "top site" on the app; its icon appears alongside links to Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn and Outlook, allowing users to access them faster. We've reached out to Microsoft for clarification.