When you receive a message from an unknown number for the first time over WhatsApp, it shows you the option to report the number directly inside the chat. It gives you control over who can add you to groups. To ensure privacy and prevent unknown people from adding you to unwanted groups, you can use the 'Group Privacy' settings. If you are still unsure if a message is valid, cross-check it with trusted news sites. Make sure you verify message that has sensitive information by searching facts online. We have been telling, again and again, to verify the information before forwarding it. Look for spelling mistakes or bad grammar to identify fake news or messages. Several website links or messages you receive could be hoaxes or fake news. A 'double arrow icon' and 'forwarded many times' label will be displayed when a message is forwarded through live chats.Ĭarefully look out for messages that look different The 'Forwarded' label on messages helps you determine if your family or friend wrote the message or if it originally came from someone else. Everyone needs to know that not all messages shared or forwarded on the app can be authentic.īelow, we have listed down different ways how you can spot fake WhatsApp messages and news. The greater responsibility in stopping the spread of fake messages is with the users. However, from time to time, WhatsApp has rolled out different features to stop the spread of fake news, such as a limit on frequently forwarded messages. Amid the pandemic, the spread of fake news or misinformation has spiked, and it has let WhatsApp brings features and updates to prevent the spread of fake news. One issue that has been troubling WhatsApp is fake news or message.įor WhatsApp, fake messages have become quite a dilemma. It has to deal with the number of conversations, messages, voice, and video calls daily. “In the run-up to the Nigeria national election, WhatsApp made significant product changes to limit the spread of viral content, banned accounts engaging in automated or bulk messaging, and sponsored a broad education campaign on broadcast platforms in Nigeria including on the radio, print, and online,” the WhatsApp spokesperson says.WhatsApp is one of the most used instant messaging apps across the globe. WhatsApp has also relied on mass media to solve its fake news problem. WhatsApp groups can hold up to 256 members.Īs added measures, WhatsApp now labels forwarded messages and has also recently introduced a “frequently forwarded” label to alert users when they received messages that “were previously forwarded several times.” It is also introducing more controls for group admins to allow them determine members that can send messages. CDD’s report also noted that 73% of respondents said the average size of the groups they were in was 50 or more people.
In some ways, WhatsApp is the internet for older users.īut with its groups feature largely unaffected, the flow of misinformation remains prominent: “one random person can share into a trusted network and that gets shared on,” Sesan says.
With family WhatsApp groups so popular, a common complaint among younger Nigerians revolves around the barrage of forwarded messages which range from improbable to ludicrous that are shared by parents and grandparents. Given the potent mix of fear (the outbreak killed over 11,000 people across West Africa) and uncertain information about the virus and the disease, older Nigerians were particularly quick to spread the bogus prevention technique in a bid to “save” family and friends.īut that Ebola broadcast was not a one-off. Crucially, older Nigerians served as key conduits for that WhatsApp broadcast as several recipients- even beyond Nigeria-say they got the broadcast from parents, grandparents, and older relatives. The incident offered a snapshot of how misinformation spreads unchecked on social media platforms, especially WhatsApp. But that ultimately proved futile, as at least two people died and several others were hospitalized over excessive salt consumption. Even though there was no medical basis for it, the “prescription” went viral enough for the government to officially debunk it.
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