Combating Misinformation
WhatsApp is one of the largest social media and messaging platforms in the world. It securely connects friends and family across international borders and enables easy communication. However, these aspects of WhatsApp are also what allow misinformation to spread across the platform. Other social media platforms with publicly facing data contain valuable information that allows users to understand the origins and intent of a post, such as where it originated, when it was posted, how many times it has been viewed, and content warnings. Fundamentally, WhatsApp cannot display this information due to its encryption.
My service solves this ambiguity behind messages. It gives users access to the crucial information necessary to analyze their messages and gain a deeper understanding of the intent behind the messages they receive.
The best thing we can do to combat misinformation is to arm internet users with the tools needed to make an informed decision about the content they consume.
My solution is a natural approach. Using the Twilio WhatsApp API, my service is linked to a WhatsApp number. Just as easily as users can forward messages to their friends, they can forward messages they want to analyze to my service's WhatsApp number. Forwarding the message initiates a full analysis of the message.
Everything from media (images, video, audio, PDFs), message text, links to YouTube videos, and even links to other websites can be analyzed.
In seconds the message is analyzed, and the user receives a reply that contains information about the message being queried. Information like when the message was first sent, origin location, countries where the message is most prevalent, content warnings, and even message translation. This information is vital to understanding the intent behind a message and helps users make informed decisions about the message they are analyzing.
Analysis on YouTube Videos
Analysis on Text Messages
Analysis on Images
What's Next
NSF I-Corps Grant
I recently received a grant to continue developing this application and explore commercialization opportunities.
Website
In addition to the forwarding service, development will also begin on a website that users can visit to get more information about a message and its contents. Through this website, users can join a discussion about the message, see expert opinions on the topic, and even rate the message.
By providing an intuitive service to not only receive valuable data about a message's origins but also a platform to get informed and in-depth details about messages, my service will directly combat misinformation on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp Service
Provide more in-depth analysis with more accurate reports.
Bugs Noticed
Pertaining to the WhatsApp sandbox: according to the documentation, incoming messages longer than 1600 characters "will be truncated to 1600 characters, and will be marked as failed with Error 21617" (Twilio documentation).
However, when working with the WhatsApp sandbox, messages longer than 1600 characters are never delivered and no POST request is sent to the application.