WhatsApp Users Can Now Fact-Check Forwarded Messages for Misinformation

WhatsApp is rolling out a new way for customers to fact-check forwarded messages for misinformation, after a number of months testing the new feature.

From today, messages which have been forwarded by a chain of 5 or more people will display a magnifying glass button alongside them in the chat thread.

Users who tap the button shall be asked if they wish to search the net to try to discover information results or different sources of information about the content material they’ve received.

WhatsApp says the feature works by permitting customers to upload the message via their browser without WhatsApp ever seeing the message itself.

The ability is being piloted starting today in Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, the UK, and the U.S. for everybody on the latest versions of WhatsApp for Android, iOS, and WhatsApp Web.

The characteristic is the latest in a series of attempts by WhatsApp to slow the spread of misinformation on the chat platform. In April, for instance, it imposed new restrictions on the mass forwarding of messages, so that if a user receives a message that has been forwarded more than 5 times, they will only be able to send it on to a single chat at a time.

The move comes after several hoaxes went viral on the platform, including false stories in regards to the ongoing world pandemic one of which linked the outbreak to the rollout of 5G networks.

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