Message Authentication System for Mobile Messaging Applications

Mobile message sharing applications such as WhatsApp, Hike messenger etc. have facilitated the exchange of text and multimedia messages at an unprecedented scale. However, these applications also facilitate the sharing of incorrect or even malicious information which can cause widespread panic or manipulate public opinion. This paper proposes a system enabling users to verify the authenticity of messages received through message sharing applications. The Message Authentication System (MAS) builds a hierarchical database of authentic information through mining a multitude of trusted sources on the internet and social media feeds. An authenticity index is then computed for the message under consideration and returned to the user. The user can choose to forward the authenticated message to her contacts with the appended authenticity index thereby helping prevent the spread of misinformation.