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Internet hoaxes are downright unpleasant even in the best of times, but they can turn deadly under the right circumstances. One example is how a string of fake news spread via WhatsApp in India resulted in a series of deadly attacks. As a result, the messaging service got an update that basically adds the tag “Forwarded” in every message that was passed from user to user.
Fake news and internet hoaxes are incredibly difficult to fight, and in the case of several users in India, the results can be devastating. This is why WhatsApp will now categorize messages that were forwarded to others that will make them recognizable as such. This will come in the form a note in the corner of the screen that says so, Independent reports.
For those concerned that the forwarded messages might lead back to them, the new feature doesn’t actually say who the original message came from. It will simply be tagged as “forwarded” so that the users actually know what’s going on. WhatsApp also explained the reasons behind the update via a blog post, where it noted how much it cares about its users.
“WhatsApp cares deeply about your safety. We encourage you to think before sharing messages that were forwarded,” the blog post reads.
It’s worth pointing out that India is currently the biggest market for WhatsApp, Financial Times reports. This means that the messaging service has huge incentives to ensure smooth operations in the country. Spates of deadly massacres sparked by hoaxes passed on through its platform could certainly throw a wrench into its cogs.
Such is the strength and influence of fake news that even the government officials sent to warn people about the hoaxes were in danger of being lynched. This is exactly what happened in the state of Tripura, where one official was mobbed to death. Unfortunately for WhatsApp, the Indian government has placed a large part of the burden on the messaging app for preventing these incidents.
