Rs 34 lakh: WhatsApp sets big reward for an important cause

Under fire for mass lynchings caused due to unverified forwards that pinned people to be child-lifters, WhatsApp on Wednesday announced a competitive set of global awards for experts who research fake news and spread of misinformation on the messaging networking platform.

India Today reports that the WhatsApp Research Awards will provide funding for independent research proposals that are designed to be shared with WhatsApp, Facebook, and wider scholarly and policy communities. WhatsApp will offer awards of up to $50,000 (Rs 34 lakh) per research proposal.

"WhatsApp cares deeply about the safety of our users. Through this new project, we look forward to working with leading academic experts in India to learn more about how online platforms are used to spread misinformation. This local research will help us build upon recent changes we have made within WhatsApp and support broad education to help people spot false news and hoaxes," read an official statement from WhatsApp.