A few weeks ago, WhatsApp limited the way viral messages can spread on its network in order to fight misinformation. Now, the company says the measures are working.
“We recently introduced a limit to sharing ‘highly forwarded messages’ to just one chat. Since putting into place this new limit, globally there has been a 70 percent reduction in the number of highly forwarded messages sent on WhatsApp,” a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.
WhatsApp first started limiting the spread of viral messages in January 2019 by restricting the number of chats where a forwarded message can be shared to five. And in April 2020, the company cut this down to one. WhatsApp said it has done this after its users said that viral messages “can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation.” Read more…
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