Govt, tech cos need to work together to tackle fake news: WhatsApp

A day after the government voiced concern over WhatsApp messages triggering lynching in parts of the country, the US-based social media platform said fake news, misinformation, and hoaxes can be checked by the government, civil society and technology companies working together.

Outlining steps it has taken to curb abuse of its platform, WhatsApp -- in its response to a notice sent by India's IT Ministry -- said it has the ability to prevent spam but since it cannot see the content of private messages, blocking can be done only based on user reports.

However, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today demanded greater accountability from social media platforms, saying finding technological fixes to identify mass-circulation of messages on a particular issue, in a particular area cannot be "rocket science".

He asserted that social media companies like WhatsApp that are reaping commercial gains from India's market, have to remain accountable and vigilant to prevent abuse of their platforms for the spread of dangerous and provocative messages.

Prasad said while he had taken note of the assurances offered by WhatsApp, these commitments should become a reality at the earliest.

"WhatsApp needs to recognise that our country offers a huge market for them and they are making good money out of India operations, so they must focus on security aspects in India in particular. If it requires the creation of more avenues of technology for safety, they must do it soon," Prasad asserted.

Rumours on WhatsApp have triggered a spate of incidents involving mob fury, the latest being lynching of five men on the suspicion of being child-lifters in Maharashtra's Rainpada village of Dhule district.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on July 2 had written to WhatsApp asking it to take immediate steps to prevent the circulation of false information and provocative content, saying it "cannot evade accountability and responsibility".

WhatsApp responded to this with a letter to the ministry yesterday, contents of which were reviewed by PTI.

"We believe that false news, misinformation and the spread of hoaxes are issues best tackled collectively: by government, civil society and technology companies working together," it wrote.

It expressed confidence that with the right action, "we can help improve everyone's safety by ensuring communities are better equipped to deal with malicious hoaxes and false information while still enabling people to communicate reliably and privately across India."
Detailing proactive steps to tackle abuse, WhatsApp in its letter said it retains limited information and is end-to-end encrypted but this privacy protection has trade-offs in form of "the inability to see problematic content spreading through private conversations on our app."