Whatsapp...

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is aware of the challenge. In a interview to Hindustan Times, chief election commissioner OP Rawat said the biggest challenge for the ECI right now is posed by technology firms that have the reach and the wherewithal to influence the vote.

According to a survey conducted by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and reported by the Hindustan Times earlier this week, 40% of rural users of the messaging platform were part of Whatsapp groups created by members or representatives of political parties. A third of the users spend between one hour and four hours on the app daily, the survey found.

“This reflects the level of campaigning and penetration of political parties. Villages are always politically sensitive and also interested in politics,” the HT report said, quoing DEF’S Osama Manzar.

The survey noted that 63% of the respondents were not on the service in 2014. Data shows that the share of active Whatsapp users in rural India has doubled since 2017, according to a survey by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

A possible solution is to make sure voters are consistently informed about the issue of misinformation and fake news in India, added Matthan.

“Whatsapp should continue to build a concerted marketing campaign against fake news to make voters aware, so that they exercise restraint while sending and sharing messages received from other users. The only trouble is if the message is received from a trusted ally, then one is likely to believe it. That’s why there is no absolute way to ensure shadow campaigns are not circulated on Whatsapp,” he explained.

The Facebook-owned platform has said in an earlier statements that it believes this is a challenge that requires government, civil society and technology companies to work together. “Our strategy has been twofold. First, to give people the controls and information they need to stay safe; and second, to work proactively to prevent misuse on Whatsapp,” Whatsapp said in the statement in July.

In July, Whatsapp launched a label to identify forwarded messages in a bid to combat fake news and the spread of misinformation globally, including India. It later set a limit to the use of forwarded messages to five chats in India.

After that Whatsapp took out full-page advertisements in Indian newspapers offering “easy tips” to distinguish between fact and fiction as it battles rising pressure to curb the spread of misinformation in India after the lynching of at least 30 people in the country since May, with at least some being caused by rumours forwarded over phones. The company also launched radio

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