WhatsApp has begun implementing sweeping changes to the popular app one of which will see ads showing on the app. Earlier on, the Facebook-owned company rolled out a new feature to limit forwarded messages to only one contact at a time. This move was aimed at reducing the spread of misinformation on the app especially in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

Interesting, WhatsApp has now announced that this new feature has already achieved tremendous impact in just two weeks. An official statement revealed that there was a 70% reduction in the number of highly forwarded messages.  The statement reads;

“WhatsApp is committed to doing our part to tackle viral messages. We recently introduced a limit to sharing “highly forwarded messages” to just one chat. Since putting into place this new limit, globally there has been a 70% reduction in the number of highly forwarded messages sent on WhatsApp. This change is helping keep WhatsApp a place for personal and private conversations”.

The policy considers any message forwarded more than five times as a “highly forwarded” message.

It may be difficult to track how this new measure will help in mitigating the read of fake news and misinformation globally through the app due to the app’s end-to-end encryption on cheats. However, the reduction in the number of recipients might discourage some from attempting to make false information or fake news go viral since they can send to more than one person at a time.

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Alibaba DAMO Academy, the scientific research group established by Alibaba has apparently developed an AI to combat fake news. The academy has developed an algorithm which can verify the authenticity of an information and help to segregate the facts from fake news. The algorithm boasts an 81% accuracy rate and a deep learning curve which helps it to verify and segregate information within seconds.

The AI called ‘Rumour Shredder’ traces the original post or the source of the information and then verifies the authenticity of the original publisher. It also compares the previous news and articles published by the same author or publisher and also takes into account the said person’s profession and past standing to authenticate a piece of news or information.

Moreover, the algorithm can identify key arguments and information from the news article and compare and contrast it with established and already present knowledge bases.

The academy also plans to add on a feature of sending real-time messages to the users.

Imagine the next time you are reading something absurd like ‘Fishes raining in Poland’, you get a pop-up saying ‘FAKE NEWS’. Though the AI is still in the training stage, DAMO academy hopes to soon roll out this algorithm with real-time assessment.

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It’s important to combat fake news as it can be extremely dangerous. We have democracies falling, communities getting violent and hundreds dying because of fake news. With the advent of social media, things have got even worse as propaganda news and information can be spread to millions with a single click. Hence it’s of utmost importance to fight this negative side of technology with something more powerful like the AI created by this academy.

At present, there are some websites and agencies which provide news authentication services. Usually, you have to go to these websites and put in your news titles and they tell you whether it’s accurate or fake news. However with the massive amount of information scrolling through our fingertips especially through Facebook feeds and Whatsapp, it’s not physically possible to feed in every news or information into these websites and check for authenticity.

Thus, this algorithm developed by DAMO Academy could be a game changer as it will let you know, in real time, the accuracy and authenticity of your information, right when you are reading it.

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