WhatsApp has reportedly rolled out its ‘Frequently Forwarded’ feature in India. The feature, which was under testing till recently, was introduced to curb the spread of fake news through the platform. The Indian Express says that the features does not seem to be live for all WhatsApp users. It says that if a user forwards a message that has been forwarded multiple times before, the platform will notify the user that the message will be marked as “forwarded many times”. A user can continue to send the message or choose to quit.
“We’ve recently introduced an update to our forwarded message label that helps people identify when they’ve received messages that were previously forwarded several times, such as a chain message. These highly forwarded messages will be marked with a double arrow icon and users will receive a notice when they are forwarding such a message,” the publication quoted a WhatsApp spokesperson as saying.
As previously reported, the notification will appear against messages that have been forwarded more than five times. The publication says that such messages, text or a media file, have a double “forwarded” arrow icon. However, the number of times that the message has been forwarded will remain end-to-end encrypted. “This message will be marked as forwarded many times,” the notification reportedly read.
Last month, WhatsApp threatened to sue individuals/organisations abusing the platform. The Facebook-owned instant messaging platform relies on its AI systems to tackle bulk news or automated behaviour on its platform. “Beginning on December 7, 2019, WhatsApp will take legal action against those we determine are engaged in or assisting others in abuse that violates our Terms of Service, such as automated or bulk messaging, or non-personal use, even if that determination is based on information solely available to us off our platform," the company had said.