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Facebook limits the ability of WhatsApp users to forward messages: each message can now only be sent to a maximum of 20 chats, compared to 250, per user. In India, the ceiling is even lower: only 5 cats. The cap on the expedition comes after at least 20 mafia murders, related to hoaxes of kidnapping virus spread on the platform. India had warned Facebook that it could face heavy fines for failing to intervene in fake new outbreaks spread via WhatsApp, at a point calling the platform a "silent spectator", reports the BBC.
"We are horrified by the violence in India, and we have announced a number of different product changes to help solve these problems," said a WhatsApp spokesman at The Guardian. "It's a challenge that requires action from civil society, government and technology companies."
In India, viral hoaxes accusing innocent people of child trafficking and organ harvesting have killed 20 people. their homes and lynched, beaten to death by crowds. The Guardian reports that 2,000 people were among the crowd that killed Mohammad Azam, 27. Rumors about WhatsApp have been blamed on local leaders for accusing Azam of trying to kidnap children. Police arrested 25 people in connection with his death.
In addition to the new shipping limit, WhatsApp users in India will also lose the "quick forward" button of the application "next to messages containing images or videos", according to the BBC. The WhatsApp news blog refers to the changes as a "test," with no word on how long the test will last. India has 200 million active users of WhatsApp, making it the largest platform market.
"We believe that these changes – which we will continue to evaluate – will help maintain WhatsApp as it was designed: a private messaging application," The message reads.
[The Guardian]
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