Indian Fellows, We Can't Count On WhatsApp 'Tipline' For Fact Check In 2019 Lok Sabha Elections

On April 2, WhatsApp launched its ‘Checkpoint Tipline’ service with much fanfare so that Indian users can report fake news. But it turns out this service is not a helpline number; instead, it is a data-collecting research project where the messaging platform will collect data to have a better understanding of the way misinformation spreads.

Media skill startup Proto, which WhatsApp has partnered with for ‘Checkpoint Tipline’, said that this is a research project rather than a helpline. The company said on its website’s FAQ:

According to the confirmation from a WhatsApp spokesperson, the announcement didn’t say that every request would be responded. Users in India can send reports of rumors and misinformation to ‘Checkpoint Tipline on WhatsApp’ at the number +91-9643-000-888.

Unluckily, today is already too late for any WhatsApp’s attempt to use this project in detecting and combating fake news for the Lok Sabha election this year since the first phase of voting starts on April 11. On April 2, when the Facebook-owned platform announced the tipline it said that users in India can share messages with the service, then Proto can verify the news’ authenticity.

The company added that this collaboration between WhatsApp and industry organizations would help protect the elections. And they would do that by providing people with tools to know whether or not the information is reliable and to prevent them from sharing unreliable rumors.

As per Proto, the company said that in the next four months, they look to gather these signals at scale in order that they will have a better understanding on how misinformation spreads, during major public events in India like the elections, across regions, languages, and issues.

This means that Indian WhatsApp users cannot count on the ‘Checkpoint Tipline’ for spotting and removing misinformation in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It depends on the complexity of users’ submissions to affect the responding time. But submissions will not be instantly verified.

Proto stated:

In conclusion, the Checkpoint Tipline’ service’s purpose is to obtain insights into the spread of fake news and will not help the government combat misinformation in this election.