We recently conducted a poll asking whether WhatsApp should consider banning forwarding of fake viral messages and its no surprise that WhatsApp has placed new limits on the forwarding of messages. This has come due to the heightened scrutiny on the potential of private message apps to spread misinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic,
Starting today, messages that have been identified as “highly forwarded” — sent through a chain of five or more people — can only be forwarded to a single person. The move is designed to reduce the speed with which information moves through WhatsApp, putting truth and fiction on a more even footing. The company, which is part of Facebook, said in a blog post that;
We know many users forward helpful information, as well as funny videos, memes, and reflections or prayers they find meaningful. In recent weeks, people have also used WhatsApp to organize public moments of support for frontline health workers. However, 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. We believe it’s important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation
As far as we’ve used WhatsApp, it has always been easy for users to forward a single message to as many as 256 people with just a few taps. Initially, these messages were not labeled as forwards, and the end-to-end encryption in WhatsApp could make it almost impossible for authorities to determine who might be using the app to spread hate speech or calls to violence. In 2018, WhatsApp began experimenting with limits on the number of times a message could be forwarded.
But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, WhatsApp has come under the spotlight for the way it can be used to spread misinformation. CNN and other news organizations found that the app had been used to share a variety of false information about “cures” for COVID-19 and hoaxes about military activity related to the disease.
