WhatsApp Cries for Help in Tackling Fake News, Print Ads Come to Rescue

10:28 GMT, 11 July 2018

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After India’s IT ministry sent a strict notice to WhatsApp over the use of its platform to spread "fake news," which had resulted in the mob lynching of dozens of innocent persons in India, it has now launched a proactive campaign in its largest market. India accounts for 200 million of WhatsApp's users.

Sputnik

The Facebook-owned WhatsApp messaging platform on Tuesday published full-page advertisements in top Indian newspapers to tackle the spread of fake news through its app.

This is probably the first time that the tech giant has employed conventional media to fight a crisis.

The full-page advertisement to which people in major Indian cities woke up reads: "Together we can fight false information."

"We are starting an education campaign in India on how to spot fake news and rumors," a WhatsApp spokesman was quoted by the PTI as saying.

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The messaging platform chose the top English newspapers in India to pass on the message to its users.

"Our first step is placing newspaper advertisements in English and Hindi and several other languages. We will build on these efforts," the spokesman added.

WhatsApp, in a letter addressed the IT ministry, stated that it was tweaking features and giving users control in its effort to rein in false messages. WhatsApp has further said that it is testing the labeling of messages to show users when a message received is just a forward, rather than one created by the sender.

However, there are also many who believe that fake news has already spread like wildfire and newspaper campaigns might not be an effective method to contain the issue.

FACEBOOK Buys Print Ads To Counter 'Fake News' On WHATSAPP… https://t.co/7CHZHp81ba