WhatsApp tightens limit on message forwarding to curb spread of COVID-19 misinformation

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New Delhi: In an attempt to curb the spread of misinformation related to coronavirus, WhatsApp has decided to limit the frequently forwarded messages by users to one chat at a time. This limit will be in place once a message has been previously forwarded five times or more. The move comes at a time when several nations, including India, are initiating measures to tackle the spread of rumours and fake news related to the pandemic on social media platforms.

"We are now introducing a limit so that these messages can only be forwarded to one chat at a time...We've seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation," the Facebook-owned WhatsApp said in its blog on Tuesday.

The company said it believes it is important to slow the spread of these messages to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation.

The company, which has over 400 million users in India, said its previous steps of setting limits on forwarded messages to constrain virality had led to a 25 per cent decrease in message forwards globally at a time.

With billions of people unable to see their friends and family in person due to COVID-19, people are relying on WhatsApp more than ever to communicate, WhatsApp stated. "People are talking to doctors, teachers, and isolated loved ones via WhatsApp during this crisis. That's why all your messages and calls on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted by default to give you a secure place for your most personal conversations," it added.

WhatsApp is also testing a feature that would display a small magnifying glass next to any frequently forwarded messages.

Users will then be able to click that and be taken to a web search for the message, with the intention of letting them find articles that may debunk the message or shed further light on any claims found within it -- and not forward them on if they find the message is not true.

In mid-March, even as many states had begun imposing curbs and movement restrictions to fight the spread of coronavirus pandemic, WhatsApp had rolled out 'Coronavirus Information Hub' to provide simple, actionable guidance for health workers, educators, community leaders, non-profit entities, local governments and local businesses that rely on WhatsApp to communicate.

Indian government's dedicated WhatsApp chatbot MyGov Corona Helpdesk, which aims to provide timely updates and help citizens clear their queries on COVID-19, has already garnered over 2 crore users.

Last year, WhatsApp launched the 'forward' label with double arrows to indicate that the message did not originate from a close contact. It also limited message 'forwards' to five chats at a time. This led to a 25% decrease in people sending forwarded message on the platform, WatsApp said. 

Frequently forwarded messages are indicated with a double tick on top of WatsApp.

(With PTI inputs)