as informed in WhatsApp is restricting the ability of users worldwide to forward messages as viral hoaxes on its platform continue to be blamed for a spate of mob violence in India. The messaging app, owned by Facebook (FB), currently allows users to forward messages simultaneously to as many people and groups as they want. "Today, we're launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp," the company said in a blog post late Thursday. WhatsApp did not say what restrictions would apply outside India, but a source familiar with the situation told CNNMoney users would be limited to forwarding messages to 20 chats. This is the third major attempt by the company in three weeks to stop fake rumors from spreading on its platform.
collected by :Molly Tony
How lynchings in India are shaping new WhatsApp features - Tech News
Since the start of last year, as many as 33 people have been killed in mob justice attacks in India, according to non-profit journalism initiative IndiaSpend.The messenger service WhatsApp has increasingly come under fire over its role in facilitating the violence, as police say the lynchings have been sparked by rumours – shared by message – that child kidnappers are on the prowl.It's believed that WhatsApp's forwarding function has allowed such reports of child abductions to rapidly spread across the platform's large user network in India.After an advertising campaign in Indian newspapers and a new feature alerting users to forwarded messages, the service is now introducing a hard limit on forwarding for all users around the world.WhatsApp announced it is scaling back its function that has allowed users to forward a message to large numbers of contacts. "In India – where people forward more messages, photos, and videos than any other country in the world – we'll also test a lower limit of 5 chats at once and we'll remove the quick forward button next to media messages," the company said on July 19.The modifications to WhatsApp's user interface come amid sharp criticism from India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. "It is regretted that the enormity of the challenge and the rampant abuse happening in the country leading to repeated commissioning of crimes pursuant to rampant circulation of irresponsible messages in large volumes on their platform have not been addressed adequately by Whatsapp," the ministry said.In a statement the ministry said WhatsApp "cannot evade responsibility and accountability" and threatened legal action against the company if it remained "mute spectators".Earlier in July, the Facebook subsidiary announced that messages forwarded by other users were going to be visibly labelled as such.By highlighting messages that have been forwarded, WhatsApp wants to make it easier for users to tell if a message was written by the person sending it or if it originally came from someone else.In a July advertisement in key Indian newspapers, the messaging platform urged Indians to think twice before sharing messages that contain spelling mistakes or they made the reader angry or afraid. "Together We Can Fight False Information," was the title of the WhatsApp advertisement.Other tips to spot fake news included: the need to double-check facts; check who wrote the original message; check elsewhere if stories seem hard to believe; and to check online where a photo had come from.WhatsApp introduces new limits on message forwarding in an effort to stop deadly lynchings in India
As it stated in Scroll down for videoA horrific spate of lynchings has led to WhatsApp announcing limits on the forwarding of messages by its 200 million Indian users. A horrific spate of lynchings led to WhatsApp announcing limits on the forwarding of messages by its 200 million Indian users in July, 2018. In India people forward on WhatsApp more messages, photos, and videos, than any other country in the world, the company says. In India people forward on WhatsApp more messages, photos, and videos, than any other country in the world, the company says. It addition, it said it will remove the 'quick forward button' next to media messages (stock image)WhatsApp adds new restrictions as India killings continue
Copyright 2016 CNNNEW DELHI (CNNMoney) - WhatsApp is restricting the ability of users worldwide to forward messages as viral hoaxes on its platform continue to be blamed for a spate of mob violence in India. The messaging app, owned by Facebook, currently allows users to forward messages simultaneously to as many people and groups as they want. "Today, we're launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp," the company said in a blog post late Thursday. WhatsApp did not say what restrictions would apply outside India, but a source familiar with the situation told CNNMoney users would be limited to forwarding messages to 20 chats. "WhatsApp was built for personal and small group conversations and we've always taken a strong stand against spam of any kind."How lynchings in India are shaping new WhatsApp features - Tech News
Since the start of last year, as many as 33 people have been killed in mob justice attacks in India, according to non-profit journalism initiative IndiaSpend.The messenger service WhatsApp has increasingly come under fire over its role in facilitating the violence, as police say the lynchings have been sparked by rumours – shared by message – that child kidnappers are on the prowl.It's believed that WhatsApp's forwarding function has allowed such reports of child abductions to rapidly spread across the platform's large user network in India.After an advertising campaign in Indian newspapers and a new feature alerting users to forwarded messages, the service is now introducing a hard limit on forwarding for all users around the world.WhatsApp announced it is scaling back its function that has allowed users to forward a message to large numbers of contacts. "In India – where people forward more messages, photos, and videos than any other country in the world – we'll also test a lower limit of 5 chats at once and we'll remove the quick forward button next to media messages," the company said on July 19.The modifications to WhatsApp's user interface come amid sharp criticism from India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. "It is regretted that the enormity of the challenge and the rampant abuse happening in the country leading to repeated commissioning of crimes pursuant to rampant circulation of irresponsible messages in large volumes on their platform have not been addressed adequately by Whatsapp," the ministry said.In a statement the ministry said WhatsApp "cannot evade responsibility and accountability" and threatened legal action against the company if it remained "mute spectators".Earlier in July, the Facebook subsidiary announced that messages forwarded by other users were going to be visibly labelled as such.By highlighting messages that have been forwarded, WhatsApp wants to make it easier for users to tell if a message was written by the person sending it or if it originally came from someone else.In a July advertisement in key Indian newspapers, the messaging platform urged Indians to think twice before sharing messages that contain spelling mistakes or they made the reader angry or afraid. "Together We Can Fight False Information," was the title of the WhatsApp advertisement.Other tips to spot fake news included: the need to double-check facts; check who wrote the original message; check elsewhere if stories seem hard to believe; and to check online where a photo had come from.WhatsApp introduces new limits on message forwarding in an effort to stop deadly lynchings in India
As it stated in Scroll down for videoA horrific spate of lynchings has led to WhatsApp announcing limits on the forwarding of messages by its 200 million Indian users. A horrific spate of lynchings led to WhatsApp announcing limits on the forwarding of messages by its 200 million Indian users in July, 2018. In India people forward on WhatsApp more messages, photos, and videos, than any other country in the world, the company says. In India people forward on WhatsApp more messages, photos, and videos, than any other country in the world, the company says. It addition, it said it will remove the 'quick forward button' next to media messages (stock image)WhatsApp adds new restrictions as India killings continue
Copyright 2016 CNNNEW DELHI (CNNMoney) - WhatsApp is restricting the ability of users worldwide to forward messages as viral hoaxes on its platform continue to be blamed for a spate of mob violence in India. The messaging app, owned by Facebook, currently allows users to forward messages simultaneously to as many people and groups as they want. "Today, we're launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp," the company said in a blog post late Thursday. WhatsApp did not say what restrictions would apply outside India, but a source familiar with the situation told CNNMoney users would be limited to forwarding messages to 20 chats. "WhatsApp was built for personal and small group conversations and we've always taken a strong stand against spam of any kind."collected by :Molly Tony
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