Google has awarded a $4 million grant to the CyberPeace Foundation to help tackle misinformation in India. 

The grant will help establish an online resources centre, aiming to reach up to 40 million people. The centre will offer 650 hours of free multimedia content and materials to help counter misinformation in English as well as Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, Odia (Oriya), Malayalam, Punjabi, Assamese, Maithili, Santali, and Kashmiri.  

Teams of fact checks will also be built from the grant, helping to provide real time defence against cyber security threats and misinformation campaigns.  

“In an era in which digital is deeply intertwined with our lives, knowing how to discern, act on, and share the credible from the wealth of information available online is critical to our well-being and [that] of our families and communities,” said CyberPeace founder Vineet Kumar.  

“Through this initiative, we’re committing to help Internet users across India become informed, empowered, and responsible netizens leading through conversations and actions,” he added.  

Google’s efforts to challenge the spread of misinformation sits in contrast with social media giant X, formerly known as Twitter, which has cut its trust and safety teams.  

Misinformation is particularly rife in India has led to political and religious tensions. 

CyberPeace is an Indian non-profit and describes itself as a “non-partisan collection”.

Shafi Musaddique is news editor at Alliance magazine.