Meta expands fact-checking programme to include more Indian languages

Meta on Tuesday revealed it is extending its third-party fact-checking programme in India to include NewsMeter, which is a fact checker focused on the southern states of the country.

The programme will now allow for more accuracy and bolster its fact checking capabilities in regional Indian languages including Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil, the company said in a statement.

Including this partnership, Meta will have 11 fact-checking partners in India, making it the country with the most number of third party fact checking partners globally.

Meta has worked globally with over 80 fact-checking partners that review and rate content in over 60 languages. All of its fact checking partners have been certified through the independent, non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network.

“We are committed to combating the spread of misinformation and have built the largest global fact-checking network,” said Manish Chopra, Director, and Head of Partnerships, India at Meta, in a statement. “The partnership with NewsMeter is an important step in enabling us to curb misinformation in regional Indian languages across Facebook and Instagram.”

Meta claims that whenever a piece of content is detected false, altered or partially false, the company reduces its distribution so that fewer people see it.

The fact-checker also notifies users who try to share the content or those who previously shared it, that the information was checked by a fact-checker. A warning label is also added to the content with links to the fact-checker’s article to provide more information about the claim.

Meta has also partnered with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) to help tackle the issue of misinformation online, to fund a fact-checking news fellowship programme designed exclusively for Indian news organisations.

(With IANS inputs)

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