WhatsApp announced to support for coronavirus

WhatsApp today announced two initiatives to support the global fight against pandemic coronavirus. One is the global launch of the WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNDP, and another is a $ 1 million grant to the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Pointer Institute.

WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub has been launched today at WhatsApp.com / Coronavirus. This website provides easy and effective guidance for all healthcare workers, educators, community leaders, NGOs, local governments and local business people through WhatsApp. The site will also provide general tips and information to WhatsApp users around the world to reduce the spread of rumors and provide users with accurate health information.

WhatsApp serves as a simple, reliable and secure way for people to communicate when they are away or away. It is a guide to how small groups can make the most of WhatsApp's features. UNDP will distribute these guidelines to these groups with local support. In addition, WhatsApp is working with UNICEF and WHO to provide messaging hotline services for direct use around the world. These hotlines will be listed on the WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub.

The Coronavirus Facts Alliance will conduct fact-checking through WhatsApp's $ 1 million grant to IFCN, which will reach more than 5 local companies in at least 5 countries. Over the past year, WhatsApp has directly connected more than 12 fact-checking organizations to WhatsApp so that they can crowdsource and report rumors spread through WhatsApp and SMS. This grant will provide training on how to use advanced features in WhatsApp Business, including the WhatsApp Business API. The expansion of these IFCN fact-checking companies will help the local community understand what to do with aware and potentially harmful rumors.

Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp, said: "We know that WhatsApp users are using WhatsApp more and more during this disaster so that friends and loved ones, doctors or teachers can keep in touch with their students. And so we've come up with a simple resource that will help them stay connected. "

'We are also pleased to help Pointer Institute grow a fact-checking company on WhatsApp and save lives by stopping rumors. We will also continue to work directly with the Health Ministry around the world so that we can update them through WhatsApp. "

"This timely grant from WhatsApp will help Fact-Checks published by the CoronavirusFacts Alliance reach more people and, as a result, help people pick the right information from a multitude of information," WHO says.