The Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) announced its partnership with social networking giant Meta, formerly Facebook on Monday to introduce a specialised fact-checking helpline on WhatsApp in India, in a bid to to counter AI-generated content. The helpline on the world's most-popular messaging platform will become accessible to the public in March. Notably, both India and the US go to elections this year.
Users will be able to flag deepfakes by sending it to the WhatsApp chatbot which will offer multilingual support in English and three regional languages in the country, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu. The social networking giant mentioned that it has "pledged" to help prevent deceptive AI content from interfering with this year’s global elections.
The “Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections” is a set of commitments to deploy technology countering harmful AI-generated content meant to deceive voters. Signatories, including Meta, pledge to work collaboratively on tools to detect and address online distribution of such AI content, drive educational campaigns, and provide transparency, among other concrete steps.
Also read: Meta To Identify And Label AI Content Across FB, Instagram And Threads
“We recognise the concerns around AI-generated misinformation and believe combatting this requires concrete and cooperative measures across the industry. Our collaboration with MCA to launch a WhatsApp helpline dedicated to debunking deepfakes that can materially deceive people is consistent with our pledge under the Tech Accord to Combat Deceptive Use of AI in 2024 Elections," Shivnath Thukral, Director, Public Policy India, Meta, said in a statement.
The programme's primary aim is to adopt a four-pillar strategy: detecting, preventing, reporting and raising awareness about the increasing proliferation of deepfakes. It also aims to create a vital resource enabling citizens to access trustworthy information to check misinformation this year, Given WhatsApp's extensive user base in India, the partnership between Meta and MCA signifies an ongoing endeavor to equip users with tools for verifying information on the platform.
"As a company that has been at the cutting edge of AI development for more than a decade, 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 and curb the spread of misinformation," Thukral noted.
The initiative will allow MCA and its associated network of independent fact-checkers and research organisations to address viral misinformation -- particularly deepfakes, at a time when the government is battling to check the spread of deepfakes and AI-generated content.
“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 in India. 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. We hope the DAU will become a trusted resource for the public to discern between real and AI generated media and we invite more stakeholders to be a part of the initiative.” said Bharat Gupta, President, Misinformation Combat Alliance.
Meta Partners 11 Independent Fact-Check Organisations
Meta’s 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. Users can also follow dedicated fact-checking organisations on WhatsApp Channels to receive verified, accurate and timely updates. In addition to the fact-checking programme, WhatsApp aims to address misinformation by limiting forwards and actively constraining virality on the platform.
"Our approach to addressing deceptive synthetic media at Meta has several components, including working to investigate deceptive behaviors like fake accounts and misleading manipulated media; our third-party fact-checking programme, in which fact checkers rate misinformation, including content that has been edited or synthesised in a way that could mislead people; and engaging with academia, government and industry. We have recently announced an AI labeling policy. In the coming months, we will label images that users post to Facebook, Instagram and Threads when we can detect industry standard indicators that they are AI-generated," Meta said in a press statement.
What Is MCA
MCA is a cross-industry alliance bringing companies, organisations, institutions, industry associations and entities together to collectively fight misinformation and its impact. Currently, MCA has 16 members including fact-checking organisations, media outlets, and civic tech and are inviting strategic partners to collaborate in this industry wide initiative to combat misinformation and create an enlightened and informed society.