How can we deal with misinformation on WhatsApp? The spread of false, sometimes malicious rumours on the platform is on the rise. There are also growing concerns around privacy on WhatsApp, which faces less scrutiny than more public platforms like Facebook and Twitter. In India, a spate of mob lynchings were linked to messages circulated on the platform. During Brazil’s recent presidential election, political groups exploited machine learning technology to bombard voters with campaign messages, some including misinformation, racist and homophobic content. Kenyan writer and activist Nanjala Nyabola has been tracking issues with WhatsApp in east Africa and from Brazil to Myanmar. Ed Butler hears from Eric Mugendi of PesaCheck, which monitors the spread of fake news in east African countries. Also, Yasodara Cordova, a Brazilian researcher specialising in Data & Misinformation at the Harvard Kennedy School in Massachusetts, says Brazil’s electoral court was too slow to take action against harmful messages. But author Henry Timms says part of the solution would involve a public debate about how and what we share online. (Picture: A WhatsApp logo on a screen. Credit: Getty Images)