WhatsApp Rolls Out 'Search The Web' Feature To Curb Fake News By Allowing Users to Fact-Check Forwarded Messages
Mumbai, August 4: During COVID-19 pandemic several fake news are surfacing on various social media platforms, including WhatsApp creating panic among masses. WhatsApp on Tuesday rolled out a new feature "search the web" to curb fake news. One of the key features of “search the web”includes tagging the forwarded messages with "double arrows". WhatsApp app also set limits on the number of forwarding messages a person can send, reported Deccan Herald.
WhatsApp in a statement said, "WhatsApp provides a special forwarded label to messages shared in chats that have been forwarded many times. These two arrows help people know when they've received a message that was not written by close contact. Earlier this year, we set limits on how many times they can be sent at once to maintain the private nature of WhatsApp." WhatsApp Rolls Out ‘Forwarded’ Message Labelling Feature to Curb Fake News.
The message added that They were piloting a simple way to double-check these messages by tapping a magnifying glass button in the chat. WhatsApp stated, "Providing a simple way to search messages that have been forwarded many times may help people find news results or other sources of information about the content they have received." WhatsApp Down in India: Online Status, Last Seen and Typing Not Working, Privacy Settings Face Issues.
The search feature also allowed users to upload the message via their browser without WhatsApp ever seeing the message itself. The feature was made available on Monday in Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, UK, and the US, for those on the latest versions of WhatsApp for Android, iOS and WhatsApp Web.
In 2018, the Facebook-owned company added a new feature that makes easier for the users to identify messages which are circulated in the groups or chats by labelling them as 'Forwarded'. Previously, the company rolled out this feature for the beta users, but this feature is now available for every WhatsApp users. This new feature will help people to distinguish between fake news, rumours, other misinformation spread via WhatsApp.
