'Taking steps to check fake-news during elections': Whatsapp assures EC
WhatsApp has informed the Election Commission (EC) that it will take various steps ahead of polls to prevent the misuse of its messaging platform, and bring to India its fake news verification model which has been used in other markets. Global executives of WhatsApp are already in India and engaging with policymakers on various issues that have been confronting the platform.
WhatsApp has always stood against spams: WhatsApp spokesperson
A WhatsApp spokesperson said that WhatsApp was built for personal and small group conversations and it has "always taken a strong stand against spam of any kind by banning accounts attempting to abuse our system".
WhatsApp to bring fake news verification model 'Verificado' to India
Meanwhile, WhatsApp has told the EC that it will be watchful of spam messaging techniques ahead of the polls - both states and general. WhatsApp has also said that it will bring to India its fake news verification model, Verificado. "Verificado was recently used in Brazil in bringing 24 media outlets together to fact check viral content and rumors," the source said.
Indian users cannot forward 1 message to more than 5-chats
WhatsApp today announced that its users in India will not be allowed to forward one message to more than five 'chats' at once and it will remove the quick forward button that appears next to media messages, to reduce the circulation of fake messages and hoaxes. The forwarding restriction imposed for India is more stringent than globally, where it has been set at 20.
