How to use the new chatbot to check facts for coronavirus in WhatsApp

Although the deadly disease begins to recede, people need information. Especially about the number of patients, WHO statistics. It’s easier to get facts from official sources, but looking for sites on a daily basis is a long time. To do this, messengers create information channels developed by the press services of organizations.

One of these is the portal of the World Health Organization. However, despite official information, WhatsApp has become a source of false statistics about coronavirus. Therefore, the developers of the utility created a new chat robot associated with fact controllers.

Contents

1 Bot to track information
2 Why WhatsApp is Important
3 Work algorithm

Bot to track information

Last month, after spreading conspiracy theories, rumors, hoaxes, and false claims about the coronavirus on the platform, the Facebook-based messaging app imposed restrictions on forwarding to more than 2 billion users. Anything previously transmitted over five times can now be sent to only one member or group at a time.

Thus, WhatsApp developers are trying to control the distribution of users. Deleted messages can be recovered.

Only the number of simultaneous redirects of one message is tracked. It’s not about collecting information, personal data.

Now the chatbot connected with the Pointer Institute, a non-profit journalism research organization, is trying to refute disinformation more actively. WhatsApp fact-checking robot helps eliminate coronavirus misinformation.

“False facts exacerbate the situation, provoke panic. It is important that the world’s population knows the truth: symptoms, methods of distribution of Covid-19, treatment, and patient statistics. You cannot seek profit in someone else’s grief. ”.

Why WhatsApp is Important

Many do not understand why subscribe to the official messenger channels. Why not just google questions about coronavirus?

Anyone can submit a rumor or theory about Covid-19 to Google, get a million hits. Sifting out what is true and what is not takes time, energy, experience.

The chatbot, launched by the Poynter International Fact-Finding Network (IFCN), connects users with truthful material, contact information from more than 80 fact-finding organizations in 74 countries. The assistant has been working since the beginning of the year and has already denied almost 4,000 false messages, claims, requests. Untrue facts are deleted.

The Poynter database contains information that corrects false assumptions about the numerous “cures” of a fraudulent miracle for the virus, conspiracy theories linking 5G to COVID-19 or those that say the virus was created in a Chinese laboratory and intentionally released. The bot is updated daily, provides free access.

Work algorithm

WhatsApp uses the country code of the phone number to direct you to local fact checker lists. People can contact the organization to submit new research applications or search the existing database.