WhatsApp launches Indian media blitz to dispel fake news woes

collected by :Molly Tony

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Facebook Inc's WhatsApp messaging platform on Tuesday published advertisements in key Indian newspapers to tackle the spread of misinformation, its first such effort to combat a flurry of fake messages that prompted mob lynchings. "Together we can fight false information," read full-page advertisements in some top English language-newspapers, part of a series that will also feature in regional-language dailies. ADVERTISEMENTIt urged users to check information before sharing it and cautioned them about the spread of fake news. "We are starting an education campaign in India on how to spot fake news and rumors," a WhatsApp spokesman said in a statement. WhatsApp has previously said it is giving users controls and information to help them stay safe, and that it plans to run long-term public safety advertising campaigns to rein in false messages.

Facebook is using Messenger and WhatsApp to spot sketchy accounts and fake news

Handily for Facebook, it's also a roundabout way of fighting back against the spread of fake news that's proliferated on the platform. So, it's like anything — and people and pages have adapted, using Facebook's standalone apps like Messenger and WhatsApp to spread that content directly to other users. And Facebook even taking out ads in Indian newspapers in recent days to warn people about misuse of such platforms. The feature — which Facebook has acknowledged it's playing with at the moment as part a "small test" — isn't specifically about going after Russian actors. Oh, and Brazil is also home to 120 million users of WhatsApp in a country of 200 million people.

WhatsApp adds another new feature to help fight fake news

as mentioned in WhatsApp wants to fight the spread of fake news — and that means a meaningful change is coming to its app. On Tuesday, the company announced it's adding labels to forwarded messages so users can better identify rumors, fake news, and other false information that often spreads via the messaging app. It may seem like a minor update, but it's one the company says could help people identify fake news and other types of misinformation. WhatsApp has responded with new features, including new admin controls for group messages, as well as a bigger initiative to study fake news. The app is also taking out full-page newspaper ads in India to warn users not to trust forwarded messages.

It's so hard to fight fake news on WhatsApp that Facebook is buying newspaper ads – Quartz

The spread of fake news on WhatsApp is so rampant in India that Facebook has resorted to an old-fashioned method of trying to fight it: placing ads in physical newspapers. The app's design likely influenced the company's decision, since WhatsApp messages are encrypted, blocking everyone aside for the sender and receiver from viewing the content. The company has tried many methods of fighting misinformation on Facebook, some more misguided than others. Organizations that independently fact-check on WhatsApp have been popping up in countries where the service is popular. Facebook, Poynter says, is working with some of them.