Tech giant Meta, in collaboration with a cross-industry alliance, unveiled plans on Monday to launch a dedicated fact-checking helpline on the messaging platform WhatsApp. This joint effort aims to tackle the rising threat of artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, which have become increasingly prevalent in disseminating misinformation.
The Helpline Initiative:
Meta and the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) are set to roll out the fact-checking helpline next month.
Users will be able to flag deepfakes by engaging with a WhatsApp chatbot specifically designed for this purpose.
The chatbot will provide multilingual support, catering to users in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
Industry Collaboration and Commitment:
Shivnath Thukral, Director of Public Policy India at Meta, emphasized the need for collaborative efforts across the industry to address the challenge of AI-generated misinformation.
The initiative aligns with Meta’s commitment under the Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in the 2024 Elections.
Global Tech Coalition’s Agreement:
Last week, 20 leading tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and IBM, signed an agreement to combat AI-generated misinformation ahead of the 2024 elections.
Government Involvement and Regulatory Measures:
Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw highlighted the importance of watermarking and labeling content as strategies to counter deepfakes.
The Indian government plans to introduce stringent provisions under the IT rules, 2021, to address deepfake-related challenges.
Operational Framework:
MCA will establish a central “deepfake analysis unit” to manage incoming messages on the WhatsApp helpline in collaboration with Meta.
The program will involve fact-checkers, journalists, civic tech professionals, research labs, and forensic experts to verify content and combat misinformation.
The initiative will focus on detection, prevention, reporting, and awareness to mitigate the spread of deep fakes.Meta announced an AI labelling policy aimed at developing common technical standards in collaboration with industry partners to identify AI-generated content across the internet.Meta had previously introduced a fact-checking program in India in partnership with 11 independent organisations in 2022.
The collaborative efforts between Meta, industry partners, and government stakeholders reflect a concerted approach to address the challenges posed by AI-generated deepfakes. The fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp represents a proactive step towards safeguarding users against misinformation in the digital landscape.
