New Delhi: After the recent lynching of five persons over fake whatsApp news of child kidnapping, the union government and service provider WhatsApp woke up from deep slumber to tackle this issue.
On one hand, home maintain wrote letter to state government to maintain law and order and on other hand, information and technology ministry wrote to the WhatsApp to chalk out the solution to deal with this menace.
Responding quickly, WhatsApp published large advertisements and also launched new features to identify the fake and forward messages. To tackle the issue of fake information being spread using its platform, instant messaging application WhatsApp on Tuesday published advertisements in various newspapers giving out ‘easy tips’ that can help users decide if “something sent to you on WhatsApp is true.”
“This morning we are starting an education campaign in India on how to spot fake news and rumours. Our first step is placing newspaper advertisements across the country in English, Hindi, and several other languages. We will build on these efforts going forward,” at WhatsApp spokesperson said to the media.
Moreover, to deal with fake news technology WhatsApp said that companies, government and the community groups, all need to work together. The Facebook-owned application, in the advertisement, said that this week it will roll out a new feature that will let users see which messages have been forwarded. “Double check the facts when you are not sure who wrote the original message,” it said.
While stating that stories that seem hard to believe are often untrue, the messaging application asked users to check elsewhere to see if they are really true. “It is easier to believe photos and videos, but even these can be edited to mislead you. Sometimes the photo is real, but the story around it is not. So look online to see where the photo came from.”
Asking users to be thoughtful of what they share, WhatsApp said, “If you read something that makes you angry or afraid ask whether it was shared to make you feel that way. And if the answer is yes, think twice before sharing it again.” It said fake news often goes viral, and asked users to not pay attention to the number of times they receive the message.
