By Qamar ZJ
While there are several private fact-check websites, not many are aware that the Karnataka police launched a fact-checking website in April last year. This was to combat the fake news surrounding COVID-19. Today, the portal has become an additional tool that the citizens can use to check the veracity of the information they receive on social media, particularly WhatsApp.
Fact checking made easy
The brainchild of Director General of Police Praveen Sood, the Karnataka State Police Factcheck website is being managed by the Criminal Investigation Department’s (CID) cybercrime division and Check4Spam. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can also call the portal at 94498-78805. It is important to ensure that you don’t end up propagating falsehoods as they could lead to prison. If you don’t have the time to check a ‘too-good-to-be-true’ news, just don’t share it. By doing that, you stop the spread of such harmful content, even if the forward is by your trusted friend or relative as they could be making the same mistake. Some of the fake news on the front page of the site includes fake news like bird flu panic in Mangalore, notice to remove speakers from mosques, Covid-positive woman going missing in Bangalore, and the non-availability of Arogya Bhagya Scheme, among others. While the efforts of the police are commendable, there is not much news on this portal. Therefore, if you can’t verify some of the fake news you’ve received, you can try out the other fact-checking websites.
Other sites that are faster and better
If your focus is not just Bangalore, but across India and the world, the following websites can keep you better informed. Importantly, their updates are faster. Some of the falsities busted by websites, such as THIP Media includes a machine that cures all your diseases in just 2.5 minutes; how your facial hair is connected to COVID-19, can Dettol kill COVID-19 causing Coronavirus, is sleeping with socks a bad thing, does steaming kill Coronavirus, and so on. Alt News does even better by also exposing the falsehoods by some sections of the Indian media, such as this story on Balakot strikes. The Quint’s WebQoof shatters falsehoods such as a photo from Prayagraj being shared as a mosque on Old Delhi Railway Station, and an old video of tractor stunts shared as Republic Day Parade practice, among others. The other websites are given as a rundown below.
