WhatsApp is working on the suspicious link detection feature to combat spam and fake links

WhatsApp seems to be working on a new feature in its latest beta for Android to combat spam. The company had added "suspicious link" detection in its latest update for beta users targeting users who share malicious links with others. It is likely that the company is developing this feature to combat both spam and the emerging problem of false news and false information shared on the messaging platform. According to a detailed report from WABetaInfo WhatsApp added this feature in version 2.18.206 of the application that was released as part of the Android beta program.

The report notes that the company has been working on this feature from version 2.18.204 and it is not available for users to test, including beta users. The reason is probably that this feature requires significant adjustments and improvements before being ready for a larger number of users to test. This feature helps users detect spam links that they have sent or received by accident

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WhatsApp badyzes the link every time a message with a link is sent to you. detect if it redirects to a fake site or alternative site. If the application detects that the link is redirecting the user, it marks the link with a red tag indicating that the link is suspicious.

The interesting thing to note here is that if the user tries to open the spam link then WhatsApp throws a warning warning the user that he is trying to open a "possible suspicious link". The report noted that WhatsApp is scanning the link to check for unusual characters locally on the device without sending data to WhatsApp servers. It is likely that the company may also add functionality to manually report suspicious links in cases where WhatsApp has not detected links or fake links.

The report does not emphasize that this is intended to combat false information or false links, but it is possible that the company extends the scope of spam detection to include it. to be particularly useful to the platform to combat the epidemic of false news currently rife on the platform.