Whatsapp is looking to go deeper in identifying fake news and is now relying on its strong India userbase to help it do that. The company on Tuesday, announced a new tipline for its India users. The line will be used to identify fake news and contain spread of misinformation by letting users report certain content.
Started in partnership with a startup named ‘Proto, this tipline has been launched to allow Indians to submit rumours and uncertain information. The step comes amid continued demand from both Government agencies and general public, for a better tool to curtail spread of fake news.
The measure comes just a day after Whatsapp’s parent company Facebook, revealed its own corrective measures against certain accounts and pages linked with the Indian National Congress (INC) political party. The company reported yesterday, that it has removed 687 accounts which it found to be engaging in ‘inauthentic behavior”.
Whatsapp on its part, has been aggressively pushing its marketing campaigns across Print, television, radio and digital mediums, to educate Indian voters about fake news. The company has also introduced some India-specific features, like limiting the number of forwards a user can send, along with the ability for users to not get added into unnecessary groups.
