To combat fake news, WhatsApp introduces a new feature

WhatsApp introduces new limits on forwarding messages

WhatsApp is stepping up the war on fake news and misinformation on its platform. After launching new privacy settings for group users, WhatsApp is now testing a new feature for Groups which will help users block "frequently forwarded" messages.
It's worth noting that WhatsApp is already working on two new features to help its users determine how many times a message has been forwarded. The new features, "Forwarding Info" and "Frequently Forwarded", haven't been rolled out yet to end users but have been spotted in the recent beta versions.
According to WABetainfo.com, a website that tracks WhatsApp updates, the next beta version of WhatsApp for Android comes with a new setting in groups that allow users to block "frequently forwarded" messages in a group.
Note that the new privacy setting will be visible only to group admins who can choose to block messages that come with frequently forwarded messages label. With the feature activated, none of the members in a WhatsApp group will be able to send such messages.
The feature may help WhatsApp stop the spread of misinformation but it's not completely foolproof. For instance, a user can simply copy and paste a "frequently forwarded" message and send it as a new message. The "frequently forwarded" message label will appear when a message has been forwarded more than four times. Currently, WhatsApp allows one to forward a message up to five chats.
The latest update comes shortly after WhatsApp rolled out a new privacy feature for its group users. Now, users can prevent others from adding them in a group without their consent. WhatsApp also gives the flexibility to change it to "nobody", "my contacts", and "everyone." Here's how WhatsApp's new privacy feature works.

The necessity of this feature  

To restrict the flow of fake news and misinformation through its platform, WhatsApp on Tuesday limited the constraint of frequently forwarded messages to each visit in turn. This comes as an update to the current furthest reaches that was permitting users to forward a message for up to multiple times, however as noted above, just applies to frequently forwarded messages that have been recently forwarded multiple times or more. The new move by the Facebook-claimed company is expected to help moderate the spread of misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic that is affecting individuals around the world. WhatsApp was as of late likewise spotted contribution a feature to let users check forwarded messages on the web.

Since numerous individuals are remaining at home due to the coronavirus spread and lockdowns forced in a few nations including India, WhatsApp forwards has expanded higher than ever. The company additionally noted in a blog entry that it had seen a critical increment in the measure of forwarding that is considered "overpowering" by users and "can add to the spread of misinformation". In this way, it bodes well for WhatsApp to constrain forwards to each visit in turn.

The new the update is intended to confine users from a frequently forwarded message to more than one client without a moment's delay. In any case, this doesn't imply that users won't have the option to forward a frequently forwarded message to various users by any means. They can at present duplicate a message and glue in the textbox of different visits.

How to use Search the web feature: 

A magnifying glass symbol will begin showing up close to messages that have been forwarded through a chain of at least five individuals. Tapping it looks for the message's substance on the web, with the thought being this ought to uncover any common paranoid fears or misinformation the message contains.
"(We are) Giving a straightforward method to look through messages that have been forwarded commonly may assist individuals with discovering news results or different wellsprings of information about substance they have gotten," the company said in an announcement.
This feature works by permitting users to transfer the message through their program without WhatsApp ever observing the message itself.
In a screen capture of the feature (appeared above) discharged by WhatsApp, the company utilizes the case of a viral message which guarantees that "drinking new bubbled garlic water will fix COVID-19." A web search raises three reality checking sites, which banner this case as bogus.
Search the web is being turned out beginning today in Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, UK, and the US for those on the most recent variants of WhatsApp for Android, iOS, and WhatsApp Web, the company expressed.