After govt warning, WhatsApp testing new feature in India to curb spread of fake news

WhatsApp messaging service on Wednesday announced that they are testing a new label to curb the spread of rumors on its platform. In this feature, they have also outlined steps, including a change that would clearly mark forwarded messages.

In its response to MEITY, they said, “in addition, we have been testing a new label in India that highlights when a message has been forwarded versus composed by the sender. This could serve as an important signal for recipients to think twice before forwarding messages because it lets a user know if the content they received was written by the person they know or a potential rumor from someone else. We plan to launch this new feature soon.”

This response came after a spate of lynchings purportedly triggered by messages on its platform. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had written to WhatsApp to take appropriate measures to curtail the spread of fake news and provocative messages on its platform following a spate of murders in 9 states over the last month connected to fake messages on social media platform.

Yesterday, in yet another case of mob violence, a young man was thrashed by a group of people in Gujarat's Rajkot on the suspicion that he was kidnapping a 3-year-old child. The police intervened, and the man has been to a civil hospital.

According to reports, around 25 people have been killed in the past two months by lynch mobs after rumours of child lifting triggered via messages on WhatsApp.