The spread of news via a forwarded message is something we’re ALL used to receiving.
But now, in a bid to tackle the spread of fake news, WhatsApp has decided to put a limit on the number of messages you can forward on.
According to the company, users were allowed to forward messages on to 20 people but now, this will be reduced to five in a bid to stop the spread of false information.
Speaking about the change, WhatsApp’s vice president for policy and communications, Victoria Grand said:
“[The change] will help keep WhatsApp focused on private messaging with close contacts. We’ll continue to listen to user feedback about their experience, and over time, look for new ways of addressing viral content.”
No more willy-nilly forwarding.
A forward limit was implemented in India six months ago and saw a decline in fake news via the app by 25 percent and so, it’s a measure they’re now introducing to more countries.
A second change which is predicted is the number of people you can have in a group chat. Currently, a WhatsApp group can hold 256 members however, there are talks about changing this to again, limit the spread of fake news.
Forwarding those screenshot chat messages could become a thing of the past in favour for returning WhatsApp to a method of private one-to-one communication.
The app wants to make communication more private again.
And finally, the last feature that’s set to arrive is “vacation mode”. This setting would allow users to switch off fully without having to exit the group chat. They would get absolutely no messages or notifications from a group chat while on holidays. The dream.
