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WhatsApp – Curbing Mass Forwarding – Limits message forwarding to five chats in India



Under the tremendous pressure from the Indian government to handle the menace of rumours and fake news on its platform, Whatsapp has announced another series of measures to curb mass forwarding of messages, images and videos. 

Whatsapp will be launching a test to limit forwarding on WhatsApp. Unlike other countries, people in India, forward more messages, photos, and videos, than any other country in the world. Whatsapp is planning to limit the number of chats to five at once and will remove the quick forward button next to media messages.

Whatsapp had added a feature to let people forward a message to multiple chats at once a few years ago. This comes after Whatsapp launched its forward label in India earlier this month to identify messages which are not original and have been forwarded. 

Very recently, the Indian government has sent a second letter to Whatsapp asking for "more effective solutions" that can bring in "accountability and facilitate enforcement of law" in the wake of rising incidents of rumours on Whatsapp triggering lynching incidents in the country. 

Ministry of electronics and IT (MEITY) had sent out a stern warning to WhatsApp earlier this month also, asking the Facebook-owned messaging platform to immediately stop the spread of “irresponsible and explosive messages filled with rumours and provocation” on its platform. The messaging platform has responded to the government letter saying that it will use a mix of technology along with new features to identify forwarded messages and work with fact checkers and academia to address the issue. 
In a press statement, MEITY said that it has been conveyed to the company "in unmistakable terms" that it is a very serious issue which deserves a more sensitive response. 

"There is a need for bringing in traceability and accountability when a provocative or inflammatory message is detected and a request is made by law enforcement agencies. When rumours and fake news get propagated by mischief mongers, the medium used for such propagation cannot evade responsibility and accountability." It added that if they remain "mute spectators" they are liable to be treated as "abettors" and thereafter face consequent legal action. 

At least 31 people have been killed over the last one year in 10 states including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra by crowds mobilised by rumours of spread over WhatsApp. The statement added that subsequently in Bidar a 32 year old software engineer Mohammed Azam was killed and this was preceded by viral circulation of rumours on Whatsapp about child lifters. "It is regretted that the enormity of the challenge and the rampant abuse happening in the country leading to repeated commissioning of crimes pursuant to rampant circulation of irresponsible messages in large volumes on their platform have not been addressed adequately by Whatsapp." 


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