WhatsApp Observe 70% Drop in Frequently Forwarded Messages
Within three weeks of imposing a restriction which put a limit on the WhatsApp messages, in order to curb the spread of rumors, the instant messenger that is owned by Facebook has observed a 70% drop in the number of most forwarded messages.
A feature was rolled out by WhatsApp, on April 07 this year that limited the forward to only a single contact at one time, in order to control the spread of rumors in wake of Covid 19 lockdown.
A company spokesperson said, “This change is helping keep WhatsApp a place for personal and private conversations. WhatsApp is committed to doing our part to tackle viral messages.”
It was a challenge for the platform to restrict the spread of misinformation; however, the latest move seemed to have worked in its favor. The company as an endeavor to help people connect and acquire correct information regarding COVID19 is endlessly working with the World Health Organization, NGOs, and over 20 national health ministries.
WhatsApp, integrated a similar technique about two years back, which restricted users to forward messages to not more than five people or group at a time. As per the company sources, globally the number of messages forwarded had dropped by 25% at that point of time
WhatsApp that has partnered with the government of India and launched a dedicated MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot connected through the number 9013151515. The chatbot is meant for coronavirus-related queries.
India is the top market for the platform with more than 400 million users. WhatsApp is also looking forward to solely launch UPI-based payments service, other than messaging. The service is currently available for a select set of users only.
