WhatsApp is imposing a new forward limit to stem the tide of coronavirus misinformation on its platform. The Facebook-owned messaging app, which hosts over 2 billion users worldwide, said starting on Tuesday, April 7, that a message that has been already shared five times or over will only be allowed to be forwarded to one person or group at a time.
Before, users had the ability to forward any message to five chats at a time — a restriction which WhatsApp claims led to a 25% decrease in message forwards globally. With this new update, once you reach that threshold, an additional rule will come into effect that will restrict you from forwarding that message to more than one contact or group.
“In recent weeks, people have also used WhatsApp to organize public moments of support for frontline health workers. However, we’ve seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. We believe it’s important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation,” WhatsApp wrote in a blog post.
In addition to this new forward limit, WhatsApp is testing a way for users to look up frequently forwarded messages on Google by tapping a little magnifying glass option beside them. The feature will enable users to sift through the web and instantly pull up matching web results to verify the information. At the moment, it’s only available on the beta version of the messaging app’s Android client.
It has also partnered with the World Health Organization to launch a coronavirus helpline and committed to donate a million dollars to Poynter Institute’s International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
The new limit will likely stymie the spread of viral forwards to an extent. However, several loopholes still remain for malicious actors to exploit. In the past, people have been found misusing WhatsApp’s broadcast list feature, which lets you send a message to a maximum of 256 contacts, for pushing propaganda.
Plus, political groups are known to peddle misinformation by setting up WhatsApp accounts on multiple devices and building a chain of large-scale groups. However, it’s worth noting WhatsApp has an automated check in place that blocks such bulk senders, and as per a white paper it published, bans 2 million accounts every month.
Instagram is testing a new format for long-form videos called Features. It allows select creators to upload horizontal videos running up to 90 minutes long. Instagram has already tested the new format with creators in Brazil, and now, it's expanding to tens of thousands of creators across the US.
How will Instagram's new Features format work?
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
I have lost count of how many times I have gone to bed thinking I will finally sleep on time, only to somehow end up scrolling Instagram or X again. A few minutes turn into an hour, then another, and before I notice, it is 2 or 3 a.m. The next morning, I am usually annoyed with myself because I could have just slept and felt considerably better for the day ahead.
It is also a surprisingly hard habit to beat. Knowing you should put the phone down does not always help once it is already in your hand. Brick Night is a new gadget built around that exact problem. Instead of relying on you to remember to turn on an app blocker, it automatically restricts selected apps and websites when your phone enters your chosen sleep space during the hours you set.