India, WhatsApp's Largest Market, Asks Messaging Service To Curb Spread of False Messages in the Nation (reuters.com)

India has asked Facebook-owned WhatsApp messenger to take steps to prevent the circulation of false texts and provocative content that have led to a series of lynchings and mob beatings across the country in the past few months. From a report: With more than 200 million users in India, WhatsApp's biggest market in the world, false news and videos circulating on the messaging app have become a new headache for social media giant Facebook, already grappling with a privacy scandal. So far this year, false messages about child abductors on WhatsApp have helped to trigger mass beatings of more than a dozen people in India -- at least three of whom have died. In addition, five people were beaten to death by a mob on Sunday in a fresh incident of lynching in India's western state of Maharashtra on suspicions that they were child abductors. "Deep disapproval of such developments has been conveyed to the senior management of WhatsApp and they have been advised that necessary remedial measures should be taken," India's IT ministry said in a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday. From a report published on The Washington Post earlier this week: As India's government weighs what to do, local authorities have been left to tackle fake news as best they can, issuing warnings and employing low-tech methods such as hiring street performers and "rumor busters" to visit villages to spread public awareness. One such "rumor buster" was killed by a mob Thursday in the eastern state of Tripura.

Comments

Seems the solution is obvious

[TimMD909]

The solution to the issue of Fake News seems obvious enough: teach people how to think critically. With a properly functioning bullshit meter, fake news is nothing more than a minor annoyance. Without one at all, it's malignant.

Unfortunately, the implementation of that is damn near impossible. The vast majority don't have time to fact check multiple sources for everything they read in the news. For some, anything beyond a drastically simplified thumbnail is beyond their comprehension. For others still, ideological possession makes it impossible for them to see another's viewpoint as anything more than an existential threat.

Re:Seems the solution is obvious

[dgatwood]

It's funny if you're at a comedy club. It's NOT funny when it's on the internet, posing as real news. Because yes, some people don't realize it's a joke, and yes, sometimes people DO weird, insane, ridiculous, dastardly things.

No, it's not funny on the Internet, but the reason it isn't funny is because it is so believable. Trump has a history of appointing people to key positions who have absolutely zero background in the area that they are supposed to be running, like naming DeVos as secretary of education. Shatner at least has some appreciation of what NASA does, so it wouldn't be his worst appointment by a fairly large margin.

When reality has become so bizarre that no sane person would have believed it possible just a few years ago, any attempt at separating truth from fiction is impossible without significant amounts of independent research, which is why fake news is spreading so easily. We brought it on ourselves.