Overview

Albatross Index is a ranked public record of misleading claims, clips, and contexts. Every entry begins with a user-submitted link and is assigned to one or more leaderboards based on its theme, verification level, and performance in community voting.

Submission Flow

Each submission includes a misleading clip or claim, optional context or rebuttal sources, and an optional description. Once submitted, the entry appears first in the Newest / Archive board. Verified moderators may approve or remove duplicate or off-topic entries, but otherwise the list updates automatically.

As the submission receives votes and context, it can appear in other boards:

• Trending – determined by weighted upvotes and velocity.
• Vox Voices – entries associated with frequent posters or high-engagement content.
• Editor’s Picks – selected automatically based on the admin account’s own submissions and votes.
• Verified Contributors – posts from verified accounts linked to private emails.
• Anonymous – posts made without any linked handle.
• Newest / Archive – a full chronological history of all submissions.

Voting Algorithm

Every submission is assigned a visibility score that updates as users upvote or downvote. The formula considers several key factors:

• Number of upvotes and downvotes
• Recency of voting activity
• Weighted influence from verified users
• Decay rate over time to prevent stagnation

The system uses an exponential weighting curve to reward consistent participation from trusted users while preserving fairness for anonymous users. Downvotes reduce visibility but cannot delete submissions; only moderation or repeated inaccuracy can remove entries.

Leaderboard Structure

Each leaderboard updates dynamically. Trending emphasizes recent weighted votes. Vox Voices follows public reach metrics of linked profiles or channels. Editor’s Picks reflects the administrative account’s personal votes and submissions. Verified Contributors shows top-ranked entries submitted through verified handles. Anonymous ranks unlinked submissions by score and age, while Newest / Archive lists everything unfiltered.

Verification & Weighting

Verification links a user’s private email to their public handle, never shared or shown. Verified accounts gain moderate weight in vote influence and leaderboard visibility. Anonymous votes are still accepted but carry base weight. The system prevents duplicate verification for the same handle or email address.

Context & Rebuttals

A submission may include up to five context or rebuttal links. Each context source helps restore full meaning to a misleading clip. Verified contextual submissions—those with consistent agreement or sourced fact references—slightly raise a post’s visibility score.

If rebuttal sources are proven unreliable, the score may decay faster over time. This ensures that high-ranking posts maintain accuracy as their claims are tested publicly.

Quality Safeguards

All submissions are automatically scanned for duplicates. Repeated or identical clips are merged rather than listed separately. Weighted scoring prevents coordinated groups from artificially inflating votes. Leaderboard recalculations occur continuously, preserving proportional accuracy even during high traffic.

Contact

Questions, collaboration inquiries, or moderation requests can be sent through the Contact page. Verified contributors may also reach out from their linked email for direct review or feedback.