BRASILIA: Facebook Inc's popular messaging service WhatsApp has become a political battleground in Brazil's most polarized election in decades, raising concerns that it is distorting debate beyond the public eye.Facebook has touted efforts to crack down on misinformation on its main platform ahead of the Oct. 28 presidential run-off between right-winger Jair Bolsonaro and leftist Fernando Haddad. But WhatsApp has been flooded with falsehoods and conspiracy theories.Haddad now alleges that businessmen supporting Bolsonaro have been paying to bombard voters with misleading propaganda in violation of electoral law, which his rival denies.HOW INFLUENTIAL IS WHATSAPP?WhatsApp has more than 120 million users in Brazil, a country of nearly 210 million, rivaling the reach of Facebook's main platform in one of the company's biggest global markets.The messaging service has become one of the main ways Brazilians keep in touch with friends, colleagues and family.The election's first-round vote on … [Read more...] about Explainer: Facebook’s WhatsApp flooded with fake news in Brazil election
How to spot fake news
Facebook’s WhatsApp flooded with fake news in Brazil election
BRASILIA: Facebook Inc's popular messaging service WhatsApp has become a political battleground in Brazil's most polarized election in decades, raising concerns that it is distorting debate beyond the public eye.Facebook has touted efforts to crack down on misinformation on its main platform ahead of the Oct. 28 presidential run-off between right-winger Jair Bolsonaro and leftist Fernando Haddad. But WhatsApp has been flooded with falsehoods and conspiracy theories.Haddad now alleges that businessmen supporting Bolsonaro have been paying to bombard voters with misleading propaganda in violation of electoral law, which his rival denies.HOW INFLUENTIAL IS WHATSAPP?WhatsApp has more than 120 million users in Brazil, a country of nearly 210 million, rivaling the reach of Facebook's main platform in one of the company's biggest global markets.The messaging service has become one of the main ways Brazilians keep in touch with friends, colleagues and family.The election's first-round vote on … [Read more...] about Facebook’s WhatsApp flooded with fake news in Brazil election
10 tips to spot fake news
Long-time Facebook users know that The Onion is the last place to look for reliable news, however, this is not the case for everyone. Here are 10 tips for how to spot fake news, not just on Facebook, but everywhere, according to social media itself. 1. Beware of headlines A catchy headline filled with exclamation points and shocking claims should be a rare case in civil society. That said, having one too many headlines that fit these requirements on your feed could mean that there is nothing at all to said stories. Make sure to take everything with a grain of salt. 2. ‘Link, my boy!’ Fake links are easy to make and are often a sign of fake news. Even authentic and mainstream news sources can easily be copied by a fake news poster by making minute changes to the link that most people would notice. 3. Click the link It is important to investigate any news source, even when you think the post is legitimate. If it does not link directly to a proper website, then it probably did … [Read more...] about 10 tips to spot fake news
WhatsApp launches Indian media blitz to dispel fake news woes
MUMBAI: Facebook Inc's WhatsApp messaging platform on Tuesday published advertisements in key Indian newspapers to tackle the spread of misinformation, its first such effort to combat a flurry of fake messages that prompted mob lynchings.Beatings and deaths triggered by false incendiary messages in India, WhatsApp's biggest market with more than 200 million users, caused a public relations nightmare, sparking calls from authorities for immediate action."Together we can fight false information," read full-page advertisements in some top English language-newspapers, part of a series that will also feature in regional-language dailies.It urged users to check information before sharing it and cautioned them about the spread of fake news."We are starting an education campaign in India on how to spot fake news and rumours," a WhatsApp spokesman said in a statement."Our first step is placing newspaper advertisements in English and Hindi and several other languages. We will build on these … [Read more...] about WhatsApp launches Indian media blitz to dispel fake news woes
Fake news on WhatsApp are getting people killed in India
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By Shashank Bengali Los Angeles Times Parth M.N. Thu., May 31, 2018 MUMBAI, INDIA—Police officers in a district of southern India had an unusual assignment. They travelled from village to village early this month to tell people that some messages that had gone viral on the WhatsApp service were fake. The messages claimed that a gang from northern India had arrived to kidnap children. One showed two photographs of a man being taken away by police with the text: “Please take care of your children. Don’t send them alone.” S.P. Pakalavan, police superintendent in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu state, ordered officers at the 57 stations under his jurisdiction to dispel the rumour. Travelling by motorbike and auto rickshaw, some with speakers mounted on top, they covered nearly 700 villages over four days, Pakalavan said. “That was the only way to pacify the panic-stricken residents,” he said. Other parts of Tamil Nadu were not … [Read more...] about Fake news on WhatsApp are getting people killed in India