Poynter Institute's new WhatsApp chatbot helps debunk COVID-19 hoaxes

Here's one debunked hoax from Poynter's WhatsApp chatbot

Poynter Institute, a non-profit organization that supports journalism, recently introduced a new chatbot on WhatsApp to debunk thousands of hoaxes about COVID-19. The bot relies on information from over 100 independent fact-checkers in over 70 countries, making it the largest database to debunk falsehoods about the pandemic (at least according to Poynter). At the moment, it is only available in English, but support for languages like Spanish, Hindi, and Portuguese is in the works.

To talk to the chatbot, you'll either need to save +1 (727) 2912606 as a contact number and text the word "hi" or click on this link, if you don't want to save it. You will then be prompted to type a certain number to navigate different options. You may have to wait around two to three seconds for the chatbot to respond to you. The chatbot identifies your country by checking your mobile country code, but you can also ask it to share debunked information from other countries. 

The service will be available around the clock, and while it may aggregate and share anonymous results of users' queries and interactions with the research community and program partners, "your personal information, however, will never be shared."

Source: TechCrunch