WhatsApp starts labelling forwarded messages for all users to cull virality of fake news
WhatsApp forwards will now be labelled to indicate the message has been forwarded, and not created by the sender.
WhatsApp has finally enabled a feature which will indicate that a certain message has been forwarded, and not created by the sender. The feature was earlier spotted live on the Android beta version of the app. “This extra context will help make one-on-one and group chats easier to follow. It also helps you determine if your friend or relative wrote the message they sent or if it originally came from someone else,” the messaging service said in a post.
WhatsApp has been struggling to control the spread of misinformation and fake news on its platform. While this is an issue across social media, it is a more complex problem on WhatsApp as all messages are end-to-end encrypted. Following a strong missive from the Indian government last week, WhatsApp had responded with a list of features it was rolling out to control the spread of messages that had led to instances of violence across India over the past few week.
Along with more control for group admins, the platform had listed the labelling of messages as one of the features that could help bring down the virality of such posts. It has also announced an award for those researching these issues.
“WhatsApp cares deeply about your safety. We encourage you to think before sharing messages that were forwarded. As a reminder, you can report spam or block a contact in one tap and can always reach out to WhatsApp directly for help,” the post added.
The feature will be available to everyone with the latest supported version of WhatsApp on their phones.
WhatsApp has also been encouraging users to take more control of their privacy setting by blocking unwanted users, deleting and reporting spam as well as by exiting groups were you think the conversations are not what you would have expected it to be.
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