Last week, WhatsApp promised to act to prevent hoax messages from spreading on its platform, in response to a demand made by the Indian government. Now, it at least seems to have one of many possible moves rolling out to the public.
WhatsApp has been testing a new feature for a while, that highlights when a received message is a popular forward, and now it¡¯s finally implementing it in the main app. It basically attaches a label to the text that declares it as ¡°forwarded¡±. That means it¡¯s not something the person you¡¯re chatting with has typed out, and it¡¯s changed hands a few times. If it¡¯s a warning of some sort, then it¡¯s probably a hoax.
It¡¯s a move that was sorely needed for WhatsApp, what with the worldwide discussion going on about tackling fake news. This is especially important in the context of India, where we¡¯ve experienced a spate of lynchings and mob violence recently, all sparked by WhatsApp hoaxes.
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¡°Starting today, WhatsApp will indicate which messages you receive have been forwarded to you. This extra context will help make one-on-one and group chats easier to follow,¡± WhatsApp said in a blog. ¡°It also helps you determine if your friend or relative wrote the message they sent or if it originally came from someone else.¡±
Of course, you need to have the latest version of the app for the label to appear at all. Either way, it¡¯s still at least one preventive measure in place now. This way, perhaps some that would otherwise have been taken in by a hoax and blindly shared it without checking its authenticity may think twice.?
It¡¯s still a far cry from a fool-proof measure, but at least the app is doing something to stem the tide of falsehoods on its platform.