Maldita.es wins IFCN's "Spread the facts" grant to expand the capabilities of its automated chatbot on WhatsApp

Since June 2020, Maldita.es has had an automated verification service on WhatsApp (+34 644 22 93 19) that provides users with daily content and is able to analyze videos, audio, images and texts, compare them with its database and automatically respond in case of disinformation.

This IFCN program will allow Maldita.es to design, develop and implement courses and surveys through the same service.

After two years of using this tool, which improves the workflow of journalists and the relationship between citizens and the organization, thus reducing the impact of disinformation on WhatsApp, we have new ideas that we will be able to implement with this grant. This project will allow scaling the current features of the service by adding interaction with users to provide media literacy content and activities that allow journalists to better understand their needs, profiles and other details about the consumption of disinformation on private messaging networks to improve the fight against disinformation and reduce digital inequalities by providing accessible and free knowledge to all citizens. 

In the same project, there are 10 other grantee organizations in 8 countries:

• Dubawa (Nigeria)
• Factcheck.ge (Georgia)
• Bolivia Verifica (Bolivia)
• Fatabyyano (Jordan)
• Lupitan6 (Indonesia)
• EFE Verifica (Spain)
• Facta.news (Italy) 
• Boom (India)
• Newschecker.in (India) 

WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users worldwide and, according to the Digital News Report 2022, more than 34% of the population in Spain uses it for information.