Meta introduces WhatsApp helpline in India to combat misinformation, enhances app for better business capabilities
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has revealed a partnership with the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) to address the increasing spread of fake news and deepfakes in India, particularly as the nation approaches its upcoming election.
Meta said last week that it will launch a dedicated fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp next month “to combat media-generated misinformation with artificial intelligence that may mislead people about matters of public importance, commonly known as deep fakes, and help people connect with verified and reliable information.”
Commenting on the release, Shivnath Thukral, India’s director of public policy, said: “We understand the concerns about misinformation generated by AI and believe that tackling this requires concrete and collaborative action across the industry.”
Thukral added, “The Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) acts as a critical and timely intervention to stop the spread of AI-powered disinformation among social media and internet users in India.”
Meta is not the only company that needs to step up its efforts to combat fake news in India. In December 2023, Youtube India also shifted its focus to delivering reliable news from reliable sources.
Improving the WhatsApp business experience
Recently, WhatsApp India introduced several new features to enhance the WhatsApp business experience. According to Techwire Asia, “WhatsApp for Business has 50 million customers, of which about a third (15 million) are Indian businesses.” Additionally, WhatsApp has been and continues to be a popular chat app in India, and despite some controversies surrounding the app’s features, most Indian businesses and consumers still prefer the app over competitors that have emerged in recent years.
WhatsApp is developing a public channel directory to help business users find relevant channels based on categories and interests. This makes it easier for companies to reach their target audience organically.
With over 500 million WhatsApp Business App users worldwide, the platform continues to rapidly evolve as a customer engagement and e-commerce channel. Disabling reactions is the latest way WhatsApp is giving larger businesses the ability to send content more efficiently.
WhatsApp allows channel admins to disable reactions
Launched in June 2022, WhatsApp channels provide a platform for one-way communication from companies and organizations to their customers and followers. Admins can share text, photos, videos, and polls that users can respond to with emoticons.
According to a report by WABetaInfo, the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS allows channel admins to disable reactions if they wish. When reactions are disabled, Channel Followers will not be able to react to new updates with emoticons.
Why are reactions disabled?
The feature gives channel owners more control over the conversation. By removing reactions, admins can focus on shared content instead of emojis and side chats.
It also prevents misinterpretation of messages. Reactions can potentially be misunderstood or misinterpreted, so disabling them reduces this risk.
Overall, the feature allows WhatsApp channels to function more like traditional broadcast platforms, where content flows in one direction instead of two-way customer conversations.
(By Akriti Seth, editor, 150 sec)
