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WhatsApp Rolls Out Television Campaign in India to Fight Fake News

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WhatsApp is on an image correction course after having been rebuked multiple times by the Indian government for failing to check rumours on its platform that led to the lynching of over a dozen innocent citizens by misled mobs.

Battling with multiple perception crises at the public and government level, WhatsApp India has launched an ambitious television ad campaign to "fight fake news" and to execute a visible makeover of its image. 

The television push by the Facebook-owned social media messaging platform WhatsApp would be next in the list of its public engagement after print advertisements and radio publicity.

The logo of mobile app WhatsApp is displayed on a tablet on January 2, 2014 in Paris - Sputnik International
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The latest television campaign consists of three 60-second audio-visual spots that convey real scenarios about dangerous rumours that spread via WhatsApp. 

"The three films will be available on TV, Facebook, and YouTube in nine languages and reach the diverse population that makes up WhatsApp users. The campaign is timed to start just prior to the elections in Rajasthan and Telangana and WhatsApp will build on this effort headed into the national election next year", a release by WhatsApp read.  

The social media giant has rolled out the television campaign in almost all major regional languages of India apart from English and Hindi. The regional languages include Bengali, Kannada, Telugu, Assamese, Gujarati, Marathi and Malayalam.

#Fakenews, #rumours everywhere and @WhatsApp truly hates it! 

WhatsApp has claimed that it has conducted extensive research with users in India before developing the three ad films that are based on a real user's experience. It added that in each film, the protagonist teaches someone important in their lives to not spread rumours and to use WhatsApp controls such as the ability to leave groups that could be propagating misinformation and how to block unknown senders.

READ MORE: India's Top Court Questions WhatsApp for Delay in Appointing Grievance Officer

WhatsApp in India has already been given two notices by the Indian IT ministry this year for failing to check rumours spreading through its platform.

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