Misinformation Combat Alliance, Meta introduce WhatsApp Helpline to fight deepfakes

The Misinformation Combat Alliance and Meta on Monday said they will be launching a dedicated fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp to combat artificial intelligence-generated media (deepfakes), which may deceive people on matters of public importance, and help people connect with verified and credible information.

The helpline will be available for the public to use starting March 2024. The initiative will allow the alliance and its associated network of independent fact-checkers and research organisations to address viral misinformation – particularly deepfakes.

“We recognise the concerns around AI-generated misinformation and believe combatting this requires concrete and cooperative measures," said Shivnath Thukral, director, Public Policy India, Meta in a statement. "We remain committed to work with industry stakeholders to introduce common technical standards for AI detection, transparency solutions and policies, along with empowering people on our platforms with resources and tools that make it simpler for them to identify content that has been generated using AI tools.”


Meta said people will be able to flag deepfakes by sending them to the WhatsApp chatbot which will offer multilingual support in English and three regional languages (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu).

The alliance will set up a central ‘deepfake analysis unit’ to manage all inbound messages they receive on the helpline. They will work closely with member fact-checking organisations, industry partners and digital labs to assess and verify the content and respond to the messages accordingly, debunking false claims and misinformation.

“The Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) will serve as a critical and timely intervention to arrest the spread of AI-enabled disinformation among social media and internet users," said Bharat Gupta, president, Misinformation Combat Alliance.

He added, "Its formation highlights the collaboration and whole-of-society approach to foster a healthy information ecosystem that the MCA was set up for. The initiative will see IFCN signatory fact-checkers, journalists, civic tech professionals, research labs and forensic experts come together, with Meta's support."

Meta’s said its fact-checking programme in India includes partnerships with 11 independent fact-checking organisations that help users to identify, review, verify information and help prevent the spread of misinformation on its platforms.

Recently, the company announced an AI labeling policy. In the coming months, it said it will label images that users post to Facebook, Instagram and Threads when it can detect industry standard indicators that they are AI-generated.