WhatsApp has already begun to pay off its messages on its platform by introducing an additional limit earlier this month.
Facebook’s proprietary service said Monday that the spread of “highly forwarded” messages sent on WhatsApp has fallen by 70% globally in the weeks since the new ban was introduced earlier this month.
In a major change to its flagship feature, WhatsApp said earlier this month that users on its platform can often send messages to one person or to a group, reducing it to five. The restriction was brought to 2 billion users of WhatsApp globally on April 7.
“We recently introduced a limit to sharing more forwarded messages to a chat. Since this new limit has been implemented, there has been a 70% reduction in the number of highly forwarded messages sent to WhatsApp globally, ”a WhatsApp spokesman said in a statement.
WhatsApp first introduced a similar limitation in 2018, when it restricted users from sending messages to five people or groups simultaneously. When announcing a new restriction earlier this month, WhatsApp said that its message forwards in service were down 25% globally in two years.
“This change helps keep WhatsApp for personal and private conversations. WhatsApp is committed to doing our part to tackle viral messages, ”a spokesperson said today.
Reducing forwards will help with the scrutiny that WhatsApp is getting in its biggest market, including India.
New Delhi last month asked WhatsApp and other messaging and social media organizations to do more to control viral scams spreading across their platforms regarding coronavirus infection. This is the latest in a series of suggestions India has sent to social media companies operating in the country,
WhatsApp said earlier this month that there has been a “significant” increase in the “forwarding rate” in recent weeks, which “users have told us can lead to overexpression and spread of misinformation.”
In recent weeks, a number of users in India have circulated good news, claiming that there have been treatments to fight coronavirus infection and that there are scientific explanations to support some of the community measures implemented by New Delhi. Sound for five minutes or light the candles and oil lamps. Fact Checkers stated that none of these claims were realistic.
WhatsApp and its parent company, Facebook, have made several attempts in recent months to reach their citizens and share official information about the coronavirus epidemic.
