Here's Why WhatsApp's New Tip Line To Combat Fake News Actually Won't Combat Fake News
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to the public ahead of India's general election, which begins this month.
On Tuesday, WhatsApp announced Checkpoint, a “tip line launched to understand and respond to misinformation during elections in India” with information about submitting suspicious messages. But when BuzzFeed News inquired about the tip line’s effectiveness after submitting several tips and receiving no responses, Proto, the Indian-based company that partnered with WhatsApp, postedthat notes the project is “not a helpline” and isn’t primarily designed to provide feedback.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said that Tuesday's announcement wasn't intended to suggest that all users would receive responses to tips regarding misinformation during the Indian election.Screenshots provided by WhatsApp show how Checkpoint can not only receive tips from Indian users hoping to verify suspicious information, but also debunk misinformation.
As BuzzFeed News tests show, and Proto’s own website confirms, users should not rely on the tip line to get a determination on suspicious information they send in. BuzzFeed News sent two links, three text samples, and three images, all related to Indian politics, to the dedicated phone number but received no determination on the contents’ veracity after more than 24 hours.
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