Tired of WhatsApp Forwards? Messaging App Testing New Feature to Stop Fake And Spam Posts
The new move aims to limit the spread of chain letter style spam messages and tackle viral fake news spreading on its platform.
Mumbai, January 18: You will no longer get spam messages and viral fake posts on WhatsApp in future as the Messaging app is now testing a new feature which lets its users to prevent spam messages. According to a TechCrunch report, WhatsApp will alert users if they receive a message that has been forwarded many times. The new move aims to limit the spread of chain letter style spam messages and tackle viral fake news spreading on its platform.
Fighting spam messages and fake news across social media platforms has been a topic of debate since a very long time now. In simple words, if the new feature is implemented, WhatsApp users will no longer be troubled with fake claims and spam messages and motivated propaganda of few set of people and fringe benefit groups. Chain letter messages are those messages that contain nonsense claims, and which urge other WhatsApp users to forward the message to all their contacts to keep amplifying the spread. However, officially there has been nothing on this new development from WhatsApp.
As per details on WABetaInfo, a WhatsApp fansite, the feature is still in its beta version and isn't officially enabled yet. It further adds saying that this feature will be developed for both Android and iOS, platforms for which it is already being tested (disabled by default). WhatsApp blog sites, Whatsappen.nl further reported a message will be sent to warns users that they are at risk of forwarding some spam.
There have been many issues in the recent past that have been caused by these viral messages. Violence and riots have been stoked by fake posts spread via social media. If the new feature is implemented, WhatsApp will display a notice that the message “has been forwarded many times”, TechCrunch reported. Hope this feature will come as a respite to its WhatsApp users.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 18, 2018 03:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).