Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter will soon be able to accurately determine if users are spreading false information.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield are developing a lie detector system for social media that can determine if a post or comment is true, the BBC reported. The lie detector will also be able to tell if the online account was set up for the sole purpose of spreading rumors.

The project was inspired from the way social media was used during the London riots in 2011.

"There was a suggestion after the 2011 riots that social networks should have been shut down, to prevent rioters using them to organize," lead researcher Kalina Bontcheva told the BBC.

"But social networks also provide useful information. The problem is that it all happens so fast and we can't quickly sort truth from lies. This makes it difficult to respond to rumors, for example, for the emergency services to quash a lie in order to keep a situation calm," Bontcheva told the BBC.

The project is named Pheme, after the mythological Greek character that was known to spread rumors. The lie detector will gather information across several sources, including news outlets, eye witnesses and journalists, the BBC reported.

Social media conversations will also be monitored. Once the information is gathered the sources will be checked for their authenticity. Individual accounts will be studied to determine if it was set up to disseminate false information, the BBC reported.

Information found to be false will be separated into four categories- speculation, controversy, misinformation and disinformation. Disinformation is the most severe, meaning the writer knowingly spread rumors to cause harm.

The lie detector project is only temporary. It will last for three years, with the first conclusions available in 18 months, the BBC reported.