MCA, Meta partner to launch WhatsApp tipline to detect deepfakes in India

New Delhi, Mar 21:  The Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) on Thursday said that its Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU), in collaboration with Meta, will launch a WhatsApp tipline on March 25 to help detect and respond to AI-generated synthetic media in India.

Any member of the public can forward audio notes and videos to +91 9999025044 on WhatsApp to get assessments on whether a piece of media is AI-generated or contains elements of it. The tipline will offer support in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

"At the DAU, we will specifically address audio and video that could have the potential to mislead people on matters of public importance, and could even cause real-world harm," Pamposh Raina, Head of the DAU, said in a statement.

The launch of the WhatsApp tipline is part of Meta’s efforts to collaborate with industry stakeholders in the fact-checking ecosystem to build instruments that help curb the spread of AI-generated misinformation.

At launch, the DAU’s partners include member fact-checking organisations as well as industry partners and digital labs that will help assess and verify the content.

The MCA is a cross-industry alliance bringing together companies, organisations, institutions, industry associations and entities to collectively fight misinformation and its impact.

Currently, MCA has 16 members, including fact-checking organisations, media outlets, and civic tech organisations.