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WhatsApp to impose new limit on forwarding to fight fake news
Source: The Guardian
WhatsApp to impose new limit on forwarding to fight fake news
Restrictions on frequently forwarded messages intended to disrupt false Covid-19 claims
Alex Hern UK technology editor
@alexhern
Tue 7 Apr 2020 08.00 BST
Last modified on Tue 7 Apr 2020 08.29 BST
WhatsApp is to impose a strict new limit on message forwarding as the Facebook-owned chat app seeks to slow the dissemination of fake news, the company has announced.
If a user receives a frequently forwarded message – one which has been forwarded more than five times – under the new curbs, they will only be able to send it on to a single chat at a time. That is one fifth the previous limit of five chats, imposed in 2019.
The change does not completely prevent widespread forwarding, since ultimately a message can be passed on however many times a user is happy to hit the forward button.
But by inserting friction into the process, the company hopes to slow some of the most viral messages on its platform, such as the widely spread falsehood that coronavirus is related to 5G. That claim has led to the vandalisation of more than 20 phone masts in the past week.
-snip-
Restrictions on frequently forwarded messages intended to disrupt false Covid-19 claims
Alex Hern UK technology editor
@alexhern
Tue 7 Apr 2020 08.00 BST
Last modified on Tue 7 Apr 2020 08.29 BST
WhatsApp is to impose a strict new limit on message forwarding as the Facebook-owned chat app seeks to slow the dissemination of fake news, the company has announced.
If a user receives a frequently forwarded message – one which has been forwarded more than five times – under the new curbs, they will only be able to send it on to a single chat at a time. That is one fifth the previous limit of five chats, imposed in 2019.
The change does not completely prevent widespread forwarding, since ultimately a message can be passed on however many times a user is happy to hit the forward button.
But by inserting friction into the process, the company hopes to slow some of the most viral messages on its platform, such as the widely spread falsehood that coronavirus is related to 5G. That claim has led to the vandalisation of more than 20 phone masts in the past week.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/07/whatsapp-to-impose-new-limit-on-forwarding-to-fight-fake-news
