Facebook-owned WhatsApp has limited frequently forwarded messages to one message at a time to reduce the spread of misinformation about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
WhatsApp has also launched a coronavirus information hub and has even partnered with the central and state governments to launch WhatsApp chatbots that will discuss COVID-19-related queries.
According to the report, WhatsApp is already testing a feature that lets users verify forwarded messages on the web. The feature, which includes a magnifying glass on a forwarded message, is available in the beta forms of WhatsApp on Android and iOS.
In the meantime, here are some already available WhatsApp features that can help you expose fake news:
1. When you receive a forwarded message, there will be an arrow mark on the message to indicate that the person who sent the message is not the original source.
2. Messages which have been forwarded many times are marked with two arrows to indicate that they have been forwarded repeatedly and has been floating around for quite some time now.
3. You can now tap on a message and press the ‘Info’ option to see how many times a message has been forwarded.