The current coronavirus pandemic has exposed how misinformation spreads fast on social media platforms. Especially during a time when most contract fact-checkers have downed their tools, leaving most work to AI-powered algorithms – misinformation is booming.
Facebook, however, wants to curb misinformation on its private messaging platform, WhatsApp, by placing new limits on how viral messages are forwarded. Previously, WhatsApp limited message forwarding to only five chats at once. The result was “a 25% decrease in message forwards globally at the time.”
In addition to these, the company is introducing new limits for viral messages that have been forwarded many times, earning the double arrow label. In a blog post today, the company is imposing new restrictions that will allow viral messages to “be forwarded to one chat at a time.”
Over the past weeks, the company has seen a spike in the number of forwarded messages which, according to users, “can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation.”
But because forwarding can also involve the sharing of vital accurate information, imposing new limits and not entirely outdoing the functionality will prove handy.
The current limit will help “slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation,” the company said.
Although users can now share “highly forwarded” messages to one chat at a time, rumormongers – now homebound – have all the time in the world to share to various chats one by one.
The current limit, which does its job as advertised – slowing the spread of misinformation – it just won’t address the larger issue here – misinformation.
