New Delhi: Under pressure to take steps to prevent the spread of rumours on its platform, messaging app WhatsApp said on Wednesday that it will train community leaders on fake news across states where cases of violence have been reported as well as states that are due for elections.
The training will encourage WhatsApp users to be more open towards other communities, to enable them to differentiate between opinions and facts, and to inculcate a habit of verifying information through simple checks before forwarding it to their friends and family, said the company in a statement.
Separately, WhatsApp has initiated a radio campaign to create awareness about misinformation circulated through its platform. With this radio campaign, WhatsApp urges users to be cognisant of the messages they receive and be mindful before forwarding them.
Last week IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had asked WhatsApp CEO Chris Daniels to take steps to prevent spread of fake news through its platform.
The Centre had warned the company that it could face abetment charges in case action is not taken to tackle circulation of fake messages.
WhatsApp has over 20 crore monthly active users in India. It could play a big role in the election campaigns as the poll season comes closer.
WhatsApp has partnered with New Delhi-based non-profit organisation Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) to create awareness among its users about the need to verify information.
In the run up to the upcoming Assembly and general elections, DEF will hold 40 training sessions for community leaders in 10 states across the country where there have been worrisome cases of violence and where there will be state polls before the end of the year, it said.
In addition, DEF will incorporate this new training as part of their network of over 30,000 grassroots community members in seven states, it said. “Our goal is to help keep people safe by creating greater awareness about fake news and empowering users to help limit its spread,” said Ben Supple, Public Policy manager at WhatsApp.
