WhatsApp to launch research programme to tackle fake messages: 'Care about people's safety'

Following the Indian government's direction to prevent the proliferation of fake and motivated messages through its platform, California-based Whatsapp has said it "deeply cares about people's safety and their ability to freely communicate".

The company has also announced the launch of a research program called WhatsApp research awards for social science and misinformation, with an aim to take care of the situation.

"We don't want our services used to spread harmful misinformation and believe this is a challenge that companies and societies should address. For example, we recently made a number of updates to our group chats and will be stepping up efforts to help people spot false news and hoaxes," the company said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

"WhatsApp cares about the safety of our users and is seeking to inform our understanding of the safety problems people encounter on WhatsApp and what more we can do within WhatsApp and in partnership with civil society to address the problem," it added.

For this first phase of the research program, WhatsApp is commissioning a competitive set of awards to researchers interested in exploring issues that are related to misinformation on WhatsApp.

The company has sought proposals from social science or related discipline people to understand the impact of technology on contemporary society in this problem space.

The body will be funding independent research proposals that are designed to be shared with WhatsApp, Facebook, and wider scholarly and policy communities.

Expressing concern over the rise in the instances of lynching in the recent past, the government on Tuesday said that these instances are happening because of a "large number of irresponsible and explosive messages filled with rumors and provocation being circulated on Whatsapp."

It said it has also conveyed in "no uncertain terms" that WhatsApp must take immediate action to end this menace and ensure that their platform is not used for such malafide activities. The government has suggested that appropriate technology should be put in place to curb this menace.

The chatting platform which recently forayed into payments in India was also criticised in the past for sharing its payment related data with third-party service providers including Facebook.

However currently, the company has clarified that the award recipients will not be provided any Whatsapp data. It has also said that all data the from award research efforts will be owned by the researcher, and need not be shared with WhatsApp.

These developments come after multiple instances of mob lynchings have been reported, many triggered by motivated messages spread through WhatsApp. Whatsapp also supports regional languages that further act as catalysts in the dissemination of messages to the masses.

Last month, around 50 villagers ended up beating two men in Madhya Pradesh thinking they would be murdering people and selling their body parts, after receiving one such message.

The government on Tuesday said it has conveyed "in no uncertain terms" that WhatsApp must take immediate action to end this menace and ensure that their platform is not used for such malafide activities.