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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