WhatsApp has partnered with Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) to weed out the fake news circulating in the instant messaging platform. This will be a major measure to curb misinformation and thus ensuring the safety of its users.
If you come across any forwarded message, that you find suspicious or inaccurate. You can now cross verify the information with IFCN’s Fact-Checking chatbot. This bot convenes about 40 independent fact-checkers from across 70+ countries and offers the largest pool of debunked falsehoods related to Covid-19.
Here’s how to access it –
How to setup Whatsapp fact-checking Chatbot
1. .Send a “hi” message to this number: +1 (727) 2912606 or click on this link: WhatsAppbot
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2. You’ll receive a welcome message with further instructions.
3. You get a list of numbers to navigate. For instance, send ‘1’ to search for fact checks; ‘2’ to get the latest fact checks; ‘3’ to get tips to fight misinformation; ‘4’ to find fact-checkers near you, etc.
4. As mentioned above, these are scraped from various reputed sources. You get the actual link to the news article beneath the search result.
It is simple and 100% free to use. At the moment, the bot is available only in English. However, pretty soon you will get the service in other languages such as Hindi, Spanish and Portuguese.
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WhatsApp assures the bot has access to messages (number commands) you sent directly to it, and nothing else. Like always, the messages are protected with end-to-end encryption.
Stay vigilant & correctly informed. Also, tell us about your experience with fake news forwards on WhatsApp.
