WhatsApp on Friday said its users in India will not be allowed to forward more than five chats at once; the initiative is being taken to reduce the circulation of fake and false messages that provoked mob lynching incidents across India.
The company will also remove the quick forward button that appears next to media messages.
“In comparison to other countries in the world, users in India forward more messages, photos and videos,” noted by WhatsApp. The Facebook-owned company has over one billion users globally, of which over 200 million are in India.
The Indian government has taken a huge step by sending a notice to WhatsApp asking it to come out with effective solution over fake news and false information that circulates on messaging platform which led to mob lynching across the country
It also warned the company that mediums used for proliferation of rumours are liable to be treated as ‘abettors’ and can face legal consequences if they remain “mute spectators”.
WhatsApp launched new safety measures including a label that clearly identifies forwarded messages and controls for group conversations in the last few weeks.
It has become necessary to take appropriate action against mob lynching in India, most recently, an incident took place near Bidar in Karnatka where a man was beaten to death, and while three others were injured after a mob attacked them suspecting them to be child-lifters
The Supreme Court too has directed Parliament to enact a new law which can effectively deal with the incidents of mob lynching.
