Forwarding on WhatsApp
A few days ago, WhatsApp has limited the number of forwarding that we can make of a message that comes forwarded to us. They want to put obstacles to hoaxes and it is a measure that, apparently, gives very good results.
After having been testing this "new" for a few days, we have to say something about it that, we think, it will be very useful for you to know.
Forward forwarded messages that reach us on WhatsApp:
In the APPerlas team we have noticed that there are two types of forwarded messages:
- Message that we received forwarded but that only has an arrow next to the forwarding information: We can forward this message, as always, to up to five different chats. Apparently these are messages that have suffered few forwarding or even that the app detects that it has been created by one of our contacts. As it does not seem very viral, we can forward it to up to five people or groups. He even makes it easy for us by providing an arrow, on the right side of the message, that allows us to forward it.
An arrow on the forwarding information
- Message forwarded to us that has two arrows instead of one: This message is marked like this because WhatsApp classifies it as a message that has been forwarded many times. That is why it limits it so that we can only forward it to a conversation.
Two arrows on forwarding information
WhatsApp does not censor content:
With this action WhatsApp does not censor content, as we have been told on Twitter .
This limitation works in the same way on a funny video as on a video with political content. What it does is simply prevent any content from going viral in a scandalous way, especially if it is a hoax or Fake News .
Obviously there are ways to get around this limitation, as many of you know, but we believe that given the historic moment we are living in and in which numerous lives are in danger, we should try to stop these hoaxes by checking, before forwarding a forwarded message, whether true or not.
WhatsApp puts at our disposal phone numbers and websites that, in each country, verify this type of message that is forwarded to us. In Spain, Maldita.es and Newtral.es are the entities that verify the veracity of this type of hoaxes and false news.
If you add them to your contacts, you can use WhatsApp to send those kinds of messages so they can check if they're true or not. Of course, we want to make it clear that it is not something automatic. It deserves the voluntary work of people who, due to the avalanche of work they have at the moment, can answer us or not.
We hope you found this information interesting and, if so, that you share it to make it reach as many people as possible.
Greetings.
