Indian political parties abuse WhatsApp ahead of election: executive

NEW DELHI: India’s political parties have been abusing Facebook Inc’s popular messaging service WhatsApp ahead of the country’s general election and the company has warned them not to do so, a senior executive said on Wednesday. WhatsApp declined to name the parties or give the exact nature of the alleged misuse, but there is mounting concern in India that party workers could abuse the platform by using automated tools for mass messaging, or spread false news to sway voters. The messaging app has become a key campaign tool used widely by workers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress party, which accuse each other of propagating fake news while denying they do so themselves.