Messages that go to the WhatsApp conversation application number can vary. There are messages coming from people who are known and vice versa, unknown and even tend to be messages of terror, hoax and misinformation.
More than 30 people have been killed in the past year after rumors of child adoption were triggered by a message in WhatsApp, according to a Bloomberg report. Reported by Hindustan Times on Wednesday (4/7), WhatsApp which has more than 200 million active users in India began to take a new step.
"WhatsApp is launching new features to combat information misuse and platform abuse," the Hindustan Times report said. WhatsApp also reacts to the increasing cases of innocent people disappearing because of the large number of messages with irresponsible rumors and provocations.
India's Ministry of Information Technology has asked WhatsApp to take immediate action and ensure this popular platform is not used for criminal activities. "We believe this is a challenge that requires governments, civil society and technology companies to work together," WhatsApp said in a letter sent to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
WhatsApp's new feature can serve as an important signal for message recipients to think twice before forwarding messages because it lets users know whether the content they receive is written by people they know or just rumors.
"We are planning to launch this new feature soon," said WhatsApp representative. Last week, WhatsApp also launched a new setting that lets administrators decide who can send messages to individual or group numbers. This is believed to help reduce the spread of unwanted messages into group conversations and anticipate hoax messages as well as other content.
More than 30 people have been killed in the past year after rumors of child adoption were triggered by a message in WhatsApp, according to a Bloomberg report. Reported by Hindustan Times on Wednesday (4/7), WhatsApp which has more than 200 million active users in India began to take a new step.
"WhatsApp is launching new features to combat information misuse and platform abuse," the Hindustan Times report said. WhatsApp also reacts to the increasing cases of innocent people disappearing because of the large number of messages with irresponsible rumors and provocations.
India's Ministry of Information Technology has asked WhatsApp to take immediate action and ensure this popular platform is not used for criminal activities. "We believe this is a challenge that requires governments, civil society and technology companies to work together," WhatsApp said in a letter sent to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
WhatsApp's new feature can serve as an important signal for message recipients to think twice before forwarding messages because it lets users know whether the content they receive is written by people they know or just rumors.
"We are planning to launch this new feature soon," said WhatsApp representative. Last week, WhatsApp also launched a new setting that lets administrators decide who can send messages to individual or group numbers. This is believed to help reduce the spread of unwanted messages into group conversations and anticipate hoax messages as well as other content.
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