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WhatsApp to form an Indian team as a measure to counter fake news

Currently, WhatsApp is planning on putting open two senior leadership roles- Head of India and Head of Policy after IT Ministry called for an increase in efforts.

WhatsApp to form an Indian team as a measure to counter fake news
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WhatsApp recently stated that it has informed the government about building a local team, which will consist of appointment of a country head, as a part of its plan to curb fake news circulation. However, the messaging application reportedly hasn’t been able to meet the government’s demand of identifying message originators.

The application came under fire after due to the circulation of fake news took place on its platform, mob lynching incidents were reported. WhatsApp already has taken the preliminary steps including education and advocacy efforts. They are also building a team that will be monitoring the Indian market but as per sources, the steps aren’t meeting the government’s expectations.

Also Read: Building A Media Hub Will Result In Creation Of A Surveillance State: Supreme Court

WhatsApp, on the other hand, clarified on its side that the message attribution would hinder the messaging app’s private nature, leaving it vulnerable to potential misuse.

WhatsApp’s chief operating officer Matt Idema recently had visited India and met with the IT Ministry representatives. While the company has introduced a new feature which restricts its users from forwarding more than five users at a time, helps users identify forwarded messages and other basic measures.

However, the IT ministry has asked WhatsApp for more effective and sterner solutions to ensure credibility and accountability and go beyond the existing efforts to bring efficiency in labelling forwards and identifying fake news.

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