WhatsApp launches chatbot to bust fake news, allies with global group

Bot has been built to tackle misinformation, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, by connecting people with independent fact-checkers in more than 70 countries

Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network, which received a $1 million grant from WhatsApp to support fact checking on the messaging platform, launched its chatbot on WhatsApp on Monday. 

The IFCN bot has been built to address the challenge of misinformation, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, by connecting people with independent fact-checkers in more than 70 countries and also with the largest database of debunked falsehoods related to the new coronavirus, WhatsApp said in a statement. 

The bot will allow users to check whether a piece of content about Covid-19 has already been rated as false by professional fact-checkers.

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