Whatsapp has been trying to curb fake news on its platform for a long time now. After multiple cases of lynching caused due to fake news, the Indian government asked the company to solve this issue or risk a ban in the country.
Now the instant messaging service has appointed a ‘grievance officer’ to address complaints regarding false news and misinformation spreading on the platform in India.
Komal Lahiri, senior director of global customer operations and localization, has been chosen as the first Whatsapp grievance officer.
Whatsapp’s updated FAQ section now reads that users can lodge complaints through the mobile app, send an email or write to the grievance officer, who is currently based out of the US.
It is unclear how Whatsapp is going to process the complaints or the measures it would take to stop hoax forwards.
Nevertheless, the Facebook-owned company has already introduced several features like labeling forwarded messages and limiting the number of forwards for users in the country.
But it remains to be seen how effective the appointment of a grievance officer would prove in stopping the circulation of fake news.
Meanwhile, the government of India also needs to understand that fake messages circulated on Whatsapp aren’t the sole cause of violence. The authority needs other issues as well to prevent such horrific incidents of lynchings in the future.
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