The World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit included a panel on Beating False News, where Newslaundry‘s editor-in-chief Madhu Trehan, IndiaSpend‘s founder Govindraj Ethiraj, author and screenwriter Advaita Kala, India Today Group’s editorial director Kalli Purie and Blockchain’s president and co-founder Nicolas Cary discussed ways to counter the effects of the proliferation of misinformation on social media and messaging services.

Developed in partnership with Newslaundry, the panel discussed how false news isn’t a new phenomenon rather has been amplified due to increasingly accessible technology that was earlier used to share news and information. Speaking about the role of technology in amplifying the spread of false news, Cary said, predatory ability of algorithms to target vulnerable people has played a significant role. To which Purie added that with platforms such as WhatsApp, which have end-to-end encryption, it becomes even more difficult to identify the source.

Speaking about challenges in addressing false news, Cary said, it becomes even more challenging to address this phenomenon because the “economic incentives on these platform aren’t in alignment with necessarily bringing you truth”. The matter becomes more challenging because, before talking about solutions, it is essential to establish whether or not regular new consumers have an appetite for the truth, he added.

As panel discussed the solutions to combat false news, Trehan said one of the places to begin with is to educate the public with ways to identify false news. To hear more about the panel’s suggestions, click on the video below.