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WhatsApp Limits Forwards to 5 Chats Globally to Curb Rumours

WhatsApp Limits Forwards to 5 Chats Globally to Curb Rumours 5c353q

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 22 January 2019 10:47 IST

WhatsApp laid forward restrictions on Indian s in July 2018 705gc

Highlights

All WhatsApp s cannot forward a message to more than 5 people at once
WhatsApp had rolled out this restriction to the Indian s last year
WhatsApp forward limit has now been rolled out to s globally

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The spread of misinformation on WhatsApp, Facebook, and other social media platforms became a focal point of discussion last year. To combat fake news on its chat platform, WhatsApp started releasing ads to make s more aware and cautious towards the spread of misinformation. One of the measures WhatsApp introduced to curb the spread of rumours was limit the forward feature to just five chats. This feature was first rolled out to the Indian s in July last year, and now the company is taking it internationally. The forward limit will be released first to the Android s via an update this week, followed by the iPhone s.

WhatsApp says that the decision to limit forward messages to five chats has been taken globally after evaluating . Moving forward, all WhatsApp s on the latest version, no matter the platform, will only be able to forward messages to a maximum of five people at once. These changes come as part of WhatsApp's aim to maintain the image of a 'private messaging app' rather than one infamous for the spreading of fake news.

"WhatsApp carefully evaluated this test and listened to over a six-month period. The forward limit significantly reduced forwarded messages around the world. Starting today, all s on the latest versions of WhatsApp can now forward to only five chats at once, which will help keep WhatsApp focused on private messaging with close s. We'll continue to listen to about their experience, and over time, look for new ways of addressing viral content," the company notes.

What WhatsApp Absolutely Needs to Do in 2019

WhatsApp set restrictions to the forward feature in July last year after reports of fake news on the messaging platform causing communal tension in certain parts of India started surfacing. At that time, WhatsApp had said that use of the app in such a way violates its of service and that it would actively work on preventing such actions. The company also claimed that Indian s forward more messages and videos than any other market in the world.

8 Biggest WhatsApp Features Introduced in 2018

Updating WhatsApp to the latest version will enable this restriction, and it's a welcome start measure to curb the spread of fake news via the messaging platform. Last year, to combat the issue, the company also rolled out 'Suspicious Link Indicator' feature that locally detects suspicious links and notifies the recipient before they are opened. Another disclaimer pops up even after the clicks on such links. This helps s easily identify fake and factual news pieces

We discussed what WhatsApp absolutely needs to do in 2019, on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, the episode, or just hit the play button below.

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