Indian Government Meets WhatsApp To Bring Traceability To Curb Fake News

Indian authorities held discussions with senior WhatsApp executives this week to ask the Facebook Inc branch to begin its operations to trace the origin of fake news spread through its messaging platform, media reports said on Friday (7).

WhatsApp is on its work to stop the circulation of misinformation, fake news, or any other such content in its largest market with 220 million users, Reuters reported quoting a senior Indian government official as saying.

The fake news spread through the messaging platform has caused for the lynching of over 30 people since January last year, according to the reports and to stop the violence Indian government is asking the messaging platform to trace and find the origin of such misinformation.

Earlier, WhatsApp had rejected the government’s request to trace the source of fake news on its messaging platform citing security issues.

The Indian government is asking the messaging platform for traceability. However, WhatsApp is non-committal however the government has been pressing its need for traceability, the government sources said.

WhatsApp team was led by Director & Associate General Counsel Brian Hennessy and one other executive.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp on Friday said that its messaging platform is not a tool for child pornography and no place for such content. It also said that it is its responsibility to take necessary action against such content, including banning of users.

The comments on pornography from WhatsApp came after India’s top court, supreme court on Thursday (6) said that the Indian government and internet giants, such as Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, were in agreement that video content of rape, child pornography, and such objectionable content should be stamped out.

Defining child pornography as ‘vile; WhatsApp said that it is also replying to valid legal requests from law enforcement to take necessary action on the issues.