WhatsApp will now label in an attempt to combat misinformation



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WhatsApp has begun to deploy a feature that will tell users which messages they receive have been forwarded by the sender. Seen by Android beta users last month, the new WhatsApp feature essentially adds a "Returned" label to all transmitted WhatsApp messages to help you determine if your contacts have written the message they sent or s & # 39; 39, it was created by someone else. The new WhatsApp feature, which is now deployed for both Android and iOS users around the world, is another initiative of the Facebook company that can limit the spread of spam and false information on its platform "From "Today, WhatsApp will indicate which messages have been sent to you," WhatsApp said in a statement announcing the new feature. "This additional context will help make individual and group conversations easier to follow. […] WhatsApp is deeply concerned about your safety. We encourage you to think before you share the messages that have been delivered."

Last week, a "suspicious" link detection feature was also detected on WhatsApp, designed to highlight the presence of a suspicious link in a message. The application also limited the broadcast of fake messages via a "Send Messages" permission feature for groups that allow group administrators to prevent participants from sending messages.

How to get the WhatsApp & # 39; Forwarded & # 39;

Have the latest version of WhatsApp on your device to see the label "Forwarded". The label is located above the transferred message to emphasize that it was not created again for you. In addition, there is no option to disable the label. This means that users who forward messages will not be able to remove the label from their side.

A WhatsApp spokesperson confirmed that the new feature is now deployed for Android and iOS users and will be available worldwide. in the next days. Although this feature is useful in cases where a message uses WhatsApp's native message transfer feature, it does not prevent users from copying and pasting the text and forwarding it as a new message. in that case.

To see how the "Transferred" label appears, you can select and forward one of the available messages in another WhatsApp thread. The feature was previously part of the beta version of WhatsApp for Android version 2.18.179 that was released last month. As a reminder, the feature was marked for the first time in test as disabled by default in January, and then included in later versions.

WhatsApp's Efforts to Combat Misinformation

Considering the current debate over WhatsApp as a source of spreading misinformation, the addition of the Forwarded label is a welcome step. It comes right after WhatsApp has published advertisements in major Indian newspapers to raise awareness of different ways to understand the difference between fake and real news. The company has also recently started to take the help of local experts to combat misleading information.

The spread of misinformation on WhatsApp has already provoked the lynching of the mob in India and led to the killing of several people in many Indian cities. As a result of recent deaths, the Department of Computer Science has asked WhatsApp to take the necessary corrective measures to curb the circulation of fake news across its platform. The ministry said that the messaging platform "can not escape responsibility and responsibility" when such services are misused by users to spread misinformation. WhatsApp responded to the ministry in a letter calling on the government, civil society and technology companies to work together to stop the flow of false information and provocative content across its platform.

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