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WhatsApp combat the spread of COVID-19 misinformation

WhatsApp is looking to stem the ‘dissemination of fake news’ by imposing limits on forwarded messages.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world, with upwards of 1.5 billion recorded users across its chat and video call features. 

A large part of the appeal comes from WhatsApp’s privacy. Unlike Twitter, WhatsApp is an encrypted hub for people to speak freely without the social media megaphone opening comments up for public scrutiny. The danger with this freedom is that people can speak a little too flippantly sometimes, and as Edward Bulwer-Lytton once stated, the pen can be mightier than the sword. 

The dissemination of alarmist falsehoods can be dangerous at any time, but in the midst of a global pandemic the effects are magnified tenfold. With the Covid-19 outbreak continuing to keep large portions of the planet under lockdown, and with no known treatment or vaccine, people are scrabbling for what information they can get. And that’s cause for concern.

The likelihood is you’ve probably seen these kinds of messages yourself. I certainly have. Bogus government conspiracies are linking Covid-19 to the introduction of 5G technologies with no scientific basis. And the messages are spreading like wildfire. The hysteria has even led to telecom masts being vandalised all across the UK – most of which don’t even have 5G equipment installed. 

WhatsApp restricts message forwarding to 5 times for all users ...

WhatsApp already has something of a rap sheet with this sort of thing. In 2018, analysts suggested misinformation on the platform poisoned the presidential election in Brazil. Right-wing propaganda was rampant across the nation’s 120 million users, and 42% of the viral material was found to be false by fact-checkers. The previous lack of end-to-end encryption has also been linked to mob violence in India. 

With the heightened scrutiny of private messaging apps and their efforts to combat hoax content surrounding the virus, WhatsApp are keen to set the example. Today, a company statement revealed that the platform will now place limitations on ‘highly forwarded’ messages. Content that has been forwarded to a chain of five or more people will be flagged and once this happens users will only be able to forward that message on to one other user. 

Having seemingly learned from its mistakes, WhatsApp is desperate to come through the Covid-19 pandemic with a squeaky-clean reputation. The platform has donated $1 million to the International Fact-Checking Network to keep track of burgeoning hoax content, and has promoted a bot made by the World Health Organisation to provide users with legitimate information about the virus (vetted by healthcare professionals). 

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