Why WhatsApp should take efforts to stop spreading misinformation?

"Try this recipe and your daughter will lose weight in a few weeks," said a middle-aged woman to another woman on WhatsApp. 

When the recipe didn't work out and instead, created more health issues for the woman and her family, WhatsApp didn't come to the rescue but health professionals did. 

"You shouldn't believe in everything that is forwarded or shared on WhatsApp", scolded the doctor to the woman and her family. 

So, sad but that's the reality of the Information Age that we live in.

Gone are the days when the information about a person's birth or death reaches by post or phone call from a telephone booth. 

Enter the era of WhatsApp when information is passed in a matter of seconds. 

Guess what, the congratulatory wishes and death condolences are also shared quickly in this fast-paced world. 

So busy our world is that we don't really have time to verify the authenticity and accuracy of the information shared or reshared or forwarded many times on WhatsApp.

And that's how the fake news gets its space to keep getting circulated and reaching out to millions of people just in no time. 

Whether the government is making efforts to regulate messaging apps like WhatsApp? 

Yes, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has changed some rules in the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. 

We already have now an official fact checker that debunks all the myths and misinformation that WhatsApp and social media apps spread. 

For years, the government has been promoting its fact check unit run by the Press Information Bureau wherein it has been tagging companies to go through lawsuits whenever any news is notified as fake or misinformed. 

So, there has to be a Grievance Officer who has to deal with user complaints as per the new IT rules.

And interestingly, social media companies or apps will also lose their safe harbour immunity for posts or information that have been flagged as misinformation by the government.

All good on records, isn't it? But what's the ground reality? 

Well, have the forwards on WhatsApp that contain inaccurate or wrong information really stopped?

When was the last time you saw the quotes of celebrities on sensitive topics being shared on WhatsApp with a lot of mirch-masala? 

When was the last time you found a message on WhatsApp about a political party having done so many things for the nation along with criticism for another political party being tagged as corrupt? 

If your answers are RECENTLY, then it is high time for WhatsApp makers and the Indian government to work collaboratively to create an Informed BHARAT and not misinformed world.