WhatsApp gets serious about the fake news

Facebook Inc's WhatsApp messaging platform on Tuesday published advertisements  in key Indian newspapers to tackle the spread of misinformation, its  first such effort to combat a flurry of fake messages that prompted mob  lynchings.  

 India has more than 200 million WhatsApp users, and it is easily the  app's biggest market in the world. And it is continuing to grow: there  are more than a billion phone subscribers who use a wide variety of  social media platforms. 

 Part of the reason that WhatsApp has become so central in the attacks is  that it is simply incredibly popular; it is simply the way that any  information spreads, for good or bad. 

 "whatsapp are starting an education campaign in India on how to spot fake news and rumours," a WhatsApp spokesman said in a statement. 

 "whatsapp first step is placing newspaper advertisements in English and  Hindi and several other languages. We will build on these efforts." 

During the week, it aims to publish  similar advertisements in regional dailies across India, from the states  of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan in the west to the most populous  state of Uttar Pradesh in the north, it added. 

WhatsApp has previously said it is tweaking features and giving users controls in its effort to rein in false messages.