Chatbots, microsites and the social media war on coronavirus misinformation


With social media networks buzzing with misinformation on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian government is tying up with social media firms and others to ensure that citizens have access to authentic data and details about the spread of the disease.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday tweeted the initiatives that Google India, Facebook/WhatsApp and Twitter have taken to ensure people have access to authentic sources of information on COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus that causes it.

Google has been putting out simple tips on handwashing for Android users, believed to be the best defense against contracting the virus, Twitter India has set up a "dedicated COVID-19 page that provides essential real-time updates to people from various authorities across India," while Facebook-owned WhatsApp has partnered with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to launch a chatbot on the lines of the one launched by the World Health Organisation this past week.

The MyGov Corona Helpdesk, launched late Thursday night, works on an IVR-like interface and lets users choose the information they want by choosing the options provided. It is available at the number +91 9013151515, which, once added to a person's phone contacts will enable them to nteract with the bot by texting "hi".

MyGov, the government's idea crowdsourcing platform (under MeitY), MoHFW and Mumbai-based rim Haptik developed the Helpdesk chatbot within 36 hours. "We already have a microsite carrying important information about the advisories, precautions or travel and so on from the government, but citizens should not get overwhelmed with information. We spoke to top managers at Facebook and arranged approvals in record time to get this helpdesk up and running," said Abhishek Singh, CEO at MyGov.

Facebook India Vice President and Managing Director Ajit Mohan called it a “unique collaboration with the government across multiple ministries”.

Haptik, which launched a similar chatbot of its own to provide information on coronavirus, said the firm worked for about four days to set up the MyGov bot.


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