WhatsApp will pay researchers to study its fake news epidemic

Facebook's throwing money at yet another massive fake news problem.

This time, the company is offering researchers as much as $50,000 in exchange for studying the spread of fake news on WhatsApp. The announcement comes after the Indian government criticized the messaging service for its role in spreading false information tied to a series of deadly instances of mob violence in the country.

Under the new initiative, researchers whose proposals are approved can obtain grants up to $50,000 for studying various aspects of misinformation on WhatsApp, including election-related issues and viral content. Read more...