NEW DELHI, July 20: WhatsApp today said its users in India will not be allowed to forward more than five chats at once and the company will remove the quick forward button that appears next to media messages, as part of its efforts to reduce circulation of fake messages on the platform that have even incited mob lynching incidents.
In a blogpsot, WhatsApp noted that its users in India “forward more messages, photos, and videos, than any other country in the world”. The Facebook-owned company has over one billion users globally, of which over 200 million are in India.
“Today, we’re launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp. In India… We’ll also test a lower limit of five chats at once and we’ll remove the quick forward button next to media messages,” the blogpost said.
WhatsApp has received flak from the Indian government over fake news and false information being circulated on its messaging platform. Such messages have incited mob-fury, triggering multiple cases of lynching across the country.
Yesterday, the government shot off a second notice to WhatsApp asking it to come out with effective solutions to curb the menace of fake news beyond just labelling forwards.
It also warned the company that mediums used for propagation of rumours are liable to be treated as ‘abettors’ and can face legal consequences if they remain “mute spectators”.
While the company is yet to respond to the notice, the blogpost said the company believes that “these changes – which we’ll continue to evaluate – will help keep WhatsApp the way it was designed to be: a private messaging app”.
“We built WhatsApp as a private messaging app – a simple, secure, and reliable way to communicate with friends and family. And as we’ve added new features, we’ve been careful to try and keep that feeling of intimacy, which people say they love,” it said.
WhatsApp had introduced the option of forwarding multiple chats at once a few years ago, it added.
“We are deeply committed to your safety and privacy which is why WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, and we’ll continue to improve our app with features like this one,” the blog said.
WhatsApp had previously stated that it had launched new safety features, including a label that clearly identifies forwarded messages and controls for group conversations in the last few weeks. (PTI)
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