MCA’s Deepfakes Analysis Unit launches WhatsApp tipline with Meta

Delhi: The Misinformation Combat Alliance (MCA) has launched the Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU) Tipline on Monday, March 25, 2024 to help detect and respond to AI-generated synthetic media. Any member of the public can forward audio notes and videos on WhatsApp to get assessments on whether a piece of media is AI-generated or contains elements of it. The tipline will offer support in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. 

The DAU has been set up with the objective of providing to the public a trusted resource that will help them discern between real and synthetic media. Expertise from a network of partners— academicians, researchers, startups, tech platforms, and fact checkers— will be tapped into by the DAU to verify and assess the media content submitted to the tipline. The assessment reports will be sent back to users in response to their messages. The reports will also be available on the DAU website and DAU’s recently launched WhatsApp Channel.

At launch, the DAU’s partners include member fact-checking organisations as well as industry partners and digital labs that will help assess and verify the content. The DAU is open to partnerships and collaborations with experts interested in synthetic media detection and media literacy around combating misinformation spread through generative AI. Besides citizens, even fact checkers and media organisations can reach out to the DAU through the tipline to request analysis and assessments for audio or videos that they suspect to be synthetic.  

Commenting on the launch, Pamposh Raina, Head of the DAU, said, “We are thrilled to be launching India’s first tipline to help citizens discern between real and synthetic media. At the DAU, we will specifically address audio and video that could have the potential to mislead people on matters of public importance, and could even cause real-world harm. We are working on having a wide set of partners and experts as we head into the elections and beyond.” 

Balkrishna, Executive Editor, Fact Checks, The India Today Group, said, “Deepfakes not only amplify disinformation, but they also fog people’s ability to judge what’s real and what’s not. The pace of the technology’s evolution makes it difficult even for experts to keep up. This is a new challenge for fact-checkers, and the pool of experts and resources in this field is very limited worldwide. DAU’s formation thus comes as a timely intervention, especially in the biggest global election year. It will ensure that these valuable resources are best used to raise awareness before the damage is done.”