Heena Sharma Blog

WhatsApp on Tuesday launched a service in India where over 200 million users in the country can tip off fake news , misinformation and rumours related to elections. Launched by PROTO, a media skilling start-up, the tipline will help create a database of rumours to study misinformation during elections for Checkpoint -- a research project commissioned by WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned company said in a statement. Dig Deeper Media and Meedan, who have previously worked on misinformation-related projects around the world, are helping PROTO to develop the verification and research frameworks for India. "The goal of this project is to study the misinformation phenomenon at scale -- natively in WhatsApp," said PROTO's founders Ritvvij Parrikh and Nasr ul Hadi. When a WhatsApp user shares a suspicious message with the tipline, PROTO's verification centre will seek to respond and inform the user if the claim made in the message shared is verified or not. The resp...

Facebook Monday said it has expanded its third-party fact-checking programme in India, adding names like India Today Group, Factly and Fact Crescendo to the roster, as the social networking giant looks to combat the spread of " fake news " on its platform ahead of general elections this year. Apart from reviewing articles, the US-based company has also equipped checkers with tools to review photos and videos to "help identify and take action against more types of misinformation". "Starting today, India Today Group, Vishvas.news, Factly, Newsmobile, and Fact Crescendo, all of whom are certified through a non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network, will review news stories on Facebook for facts, and rate their accuracy..." Facebook said in a statement. It added that this will be done for content in languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi. Read More Article Source -> Business Standard

It's February and if you are still single and unhappy with your pictures on social media , there's a new photo application that can help you ease your agony. A Korean app, called SOVS (short for SomeOne Very Special), is the one thing you'll need. You will need to ask strangers to take your pictures and be sure they will be perfect. You hand over your phone to a stranger to take a picture of you and often end up with unflattering pictures. This is where SOVS comes into the picture, literally. The app allows you to choose from a number of poses which are basically white outlines in which all that your stranger has to do is fit you while taking the picture. As The Verge reports, the outlines can either appear in the captured photo or can be used as a guide while capturing. The app is currently only for iOS users. The SOVS app costs 99 cents and is dedicated to solo shots. The SOVS2 is a free version and comes with poses for group photos. Read More Article ...