New Delhi sources stated that WhatsApp 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.
Accordingly in a blog post, 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 are launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp. In India we will also test a lower limit of five chats at once and we'll remove the quick forward button next to media messages”.
Presently WhatsApp has
received flak from the Indian government over fake news and false information
being circulated on its messaging platform. Meanwhile such messages have
incited mob-fury, triggering multiple cases of lynching across the country. Recently
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 labeling
forwards.
