Mozilla researchers are concerned about WhatsApp’s policy. They ask that the messaging service take more action against disinformation in upcoming elections worldwide.
In 2024, no fewer than 4 billion people will go to the polls in 64 countries, including the United States and India, but of course also our own Belgium. Social media companies such as Meta, YouTube and TikTok have already promised to protect the integrity of those elections, but Mozilla notes that WhatsApp has not yet drawn up a policy. The researchers point out that the influence and reach of the messaging service is as great as that of the major social media.
“Nearly 90 percent of Meta’s planned online safety interventions focus on Facebook and Instagram,” Ondanga Madung, senior researcher at Mozilla, told Engadget. “Why hasn’t Meta publicly drawn up a plan for how it will combat disinformation during elections?” he asks. A fair question, since WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users worldwide and is by far the largest messaging service. Facebook Messenger (second worldwide) has 930 million users.
Mozilla: “Veteranize WhatsApp”
Mozilla is now calling on Meta to thoroughly review and adjust the way WhatsApp functions. One notable suggestion is adding labels that can mark viral content as ‘disinformation’. Instead of the ‘Forwarded multiple times’ notifications, WhatsApp users could see a customized message: ‘Often forwarded: please verify’. Mozilla wants to make users ‘stop and reflect’ on viral messages that are forwarded to them.
More than 16,000 people have now signed Mozilla’s call, hoping to combat political disinformation. Mozilla’s strong insistence follows research the company conducted into online platforms and elections in Brazil, India and Liberia. The first two are among the largest markets for WhatsApp worldwide. Mozilla found that political parties in those three countries started ‘micro-targeting’ voters with propaganda and in some cases even hate speech.
“With the encryption that WhatsApp uses, they waive their liability,” Madung added. “In an election context, the content itself is not necessarily the problem. The point is that a small group of people can easily influence a large crowd.”
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