Google is stepping up its efforts to combat misinformation ahead of India's general elections by supporting Shakti, The India Election Fact-Checking Collective, the company announced on Friday, March 1.
This consortium, spearheaded by DataLEADS in partnership with the Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA), The Quint, VishvasNews, Boom, Factly, and Newschecker, receives backing from the Google News Initiative. It aims to detect and counter online misinformation, including the increasingly prevalent threat of deepfakes, by establishing a unified repository for fact-checking resources.
"Starting today until the conclusion of the General Elections in India, the project will focus on connecting independent fact-checkers and Indian language publishers, giving them a collaborative platform to share fact checks, research resources and alerts on elections-related viral misinformation and deepfakes, saving crucial time," Google said in a blog post.
This initiative aims to streamline the process of debunking false information, particularly related to the elections, across multiple languages and formats, including videos.
Further, Shakti is also said to provide comprehensive training in advanced fact-checking methodologies and deepfake detection, leveraging the latest Google tools like the Fact Check Explorer to enhance verification processes.
The Fact-Checking Collective is also inviting news publishers, particularly those producing original content in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, and Marathi, to join the initiative and contribute to the fight against misinformation.
Google's initiative builds upon its existing efforts to promote media literacy and combat misinformation in India. Through initiatives like the GNI India Training Network, PollCheck, Data Accelerator, and Data Dialogue, Google has trained thousands of journalists, media educators, and journalism students in multiple languages.
Additionally, Google and YouTube's Global Fact Check Fund, totalling $13.2 million, has supported local and regional media organisations worldwide in producing high-quality fact-checking content.
The initiative also extends support to media literacy projects such as FactShala and Sach Ke Saathi, aimed at equipping underrepresented communities with critical thinking skills to sift facts from fiction.
