WhatsApp is trying to stop the fake news on its platform by running a social campaign and now the company also launched a new service called “Checkpoint Tipline” to check if the forwarded news is legit or fake.
The fake news is spreading all over the internet and since the number of internet users in India increasing the fake news spreading more and more. Many internet users don’t know how to use the platform and that’s why they are sharing the information without verifying it.
This initiative has been launched by PROTO, an India-based media skilling startup and technically assisted by WhatsApp.
How to Use Checkpoint Tipline?
- Save this number +91-9643000888 on your device as a checkpoint timeline
- Forward the message that you want to check to this number.
- and later Press 1 to confirm.
- PROTO’s verification center will then verify the credibility and will send you a message if the forwarded message is fake or legit.
Checkpoint Tipline accepts most of the languages including English, Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, and Malayalam.
Fergus Bell, Founder & CEO, Dig Deeper Media said:
‘The goal of this project is to study the misinformation phenomenon at scale — natively in WhatsApp. As more data flows in, we will be able to identify the most susceptible or affected issues, locations, languages, regions, and more. The verification reports we send back will encourage our grassroots-level “listening posts” to send more signals for analysis
The research from this initiative will help create a global benchmark for those wishing to tackle misinformation in their own markets. This is also innovation in verifying data around elections in a way that is accessible to those who need it in exactly the place they need it’