As mob lynchings fueled by WhatsApp messages sweep India, authorities struggle to combat fake news

as mentioned in ☰Asia & PacificAs mob lynchings fueled by WhatsApp messages sweep India, authorities struggle to combat fake newsA villager displays a false message shared on Facebook's WhatsApp service while attending an event to raise awareness about fake news in Balgera, India, on June 12. (Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg News)NEW DELHI —More than a dozen people have been killed across India since May in violence fueled primarily by fake social media messages, as officials struggle to rein in this growing technology-driven menace. In the latest such lynching, a mob killed five people Sunday after rumors spread on social media that they were trafficking children. Satish Bhaykre, 21, was beaten by a mob because of a fake WhatsApp text. In April, a circular from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry proposing stiff penalties for journalists who post fake news was pulled in less than 24 hours after an outcry.

WhatsApp and fake news : Video might be true, but accompanying text is not, says BoomLive editor

WhatsApp and fake news : Video might be true, but accompanying text is not, says BoomLive editorWhatsApp and fake news: Fact-checking website BoomLive's Managing Editor Jency Jacob revealed how they tackle misinformationWhatsApp's reply also finds mention of BoomLive, which is an independent fact-checking website. After Facebook, WhatsApp is now under scrutiny for the spread of "fake" news, or misinformation, on its platform. BoomLive regularly publishes its own articles as well, which debunk fake news and prevent from further spreading. Of course, photos, videos, and text are the most common mediums by which people spread misinformation. For example, the video may be true, but text along with it may have changed.

WhatsApp will pay researchers to study its fake news epidemic

as mentioned in Facebook's throwing money at yet another massive fake news problem. This time, the company is offering researchers as much as $50,000 in exchange for studying the spread of fake news on WhatsApp. "WhatsApp is commissioning a competitive set of awards to researchers interested in exploring issues that are related to misinformation on WhatsApp," the company writes in its announcement. Though the researchers will receive "guidance" from the company, they will not be given access to WhatsApp data, the company says. Addressing the spread of fake news (or, "misinformation" in Facebook-speak), has become an increasingly urgent issue for WhatsApp.