WhatsApp has announced that it has reduced the number of chats and people to whom messages can be forwarded at the same time, with the aim of reducing the spread of fake news. The decision was taken following some news cases, which occurred mainly in Asian countries, where the dissemination of false information via WhatsApp had led to violence and some cases of murder.
The Whatsapp company, which is owned by Facebook, had been harshly criticized in recent months especially for how the app was used to spread uncontrolled rumors about people who kidnapped children and then sell their organs. Some messages included photos of dismembered bodies or fake police leaflets. Reports of this kind had led to beatings especially against foreigners, suspected of being guilty, in India and Myanmar against the Rohingya population.
The new rule decided by WhatsApp means that you can forward a message to up to 20 people at the same time. In India, where WhatsApp says it has started a different “test”, the limit will be 5 people. Previously, the limit for everyone was 250 and therefore allowed a message to be spread very quickly among tens of thousands of people.
WhatsApp has also decided to eliminate the “Forward” button that appears next to multimedia content in chats. The company hopes that with fewer simultaneous mailings available it will be more difficult for the rapid dissemination of potentially harmful messages, but many are skeptical that it can really change things.
