Mozilla Urges WhatsApp To Combat Political Disinformation Ahead Of Major Elections

Mozilla, the non-profit behind the internet browser Firefox, has written a letter to WhatsApp urging them to combat political disinformation on its platform that could threaten elections.

The company believes it is crucial for these changes to be implemented within the next three months, especially with major elections looming in India, South Africa, Mexico, the EU, and other regions.

Citing the mass usage of the messaging platform, Mozilla highlighted that WhatsApp “frequently shirks the responsibilities that come with that”.

Mozilla's investigation revealed that political entities frequently misuse WhatsApp functionalities to disseminate harmful election disinformation and target women and minority communities for harassment.

Deepfake videos and audios, misleading political content from unreliable news sources, provocative propaganda or hate speech, and unfounded conspiracy theories can also swiftly propagate throughout the platform without adequate scrutiny, the non-profit stated.

Furthermore, Mozilla pointed out that WhatsApp has made “significantly fewer election interventions”, in the matter than Facebook and Instagram.