WhatsApp to limit forwarding messages to curb rumours and lynchings

WhatsApp has finally responded to the menace of fake news spreading through it in India , resulting in violence, lynchings and death. The messaging platform said in a blog post on Thursday “Today, we are launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp.

In India where people forward more messages, photos, and videos than any other country in the world – we will also test a lower limit of five chats at once and we will remove the quick forward button next to media messages.” They also added that , “we believe that these changes – which we will continue to evaluate – will help keep WhatsApp the way it was designed to be: a private messaging app.”

This is a step in the right direction. Violent mobs attacking transgenders, people on the suspicion of child-lifting have become a menace, making the Supreme court to label the situation as a mobocracy. The recent episode in North Karnataka which left a young Hyderabad man dead and his friends injured has put fear in the hearts of outsiders, who are now living in a constant fear .

The government has received the news of curbs with some reservation. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said it has approached WhatsApp to go beyond the existing efforts of labelling forwarded messages and identifying the origin of fake news.