Whatsapp

The world yet has been released by the issue of Corona virus pandemic. It is even tracking with an increased rate day by day. As ordered by the central authority of different countries, they have been under the lockdown for some particular period. Still, many misinformation related to the Corona virus pandemic is being escalated on the private messaging applications. On account of such information, WhatsApp on Tuesday said that it would place new limits on the forwarding of messages.

CYBER EFFECT

There are many messages which are in the form of any game or something irrelevant and it has been highly forwarded by a group of people. Such messages which are highly forwarded and sent through a chain of five or more people will not be allowed to be forwarded to more than one person. This shows the speed of the information which spreads among the users. So, for any relevant information, this is advantageous but for any rumor, it can be considered as a major drawback. In order to reduce the speed with which the information spreads through WhatsApp, this move has been designed. The company, which is now a part of Facebook said, “ We know that many users forward helpful information, such as funny videos, memes and reflections or prayers they find meaningful. In recent weeks, people have also used WhatsApp to organize public support for frontline help workers.” They further added to the point that, “However, we have seen significant increase in the amount of forwarding which the users have told us cam feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. We believe its important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp, a place for personal information.”

VALUE OF A SINGLE TAP

It is easy for the users to forward any text with just a single tap. But this single tap can lead to the spread of much misinformation. Due to the end to end encryption, the authorities were not able to determine who might be using the app which would form as a matter of violence and these messages were not considered as forwards initially. In 2018, they tried to observe how many times a message can be forwarded and that is why they name it as “ forwarded message.” Another step that was taken by them was they have limited the number of people to five to forward a single message. Because of this step taken by the company, the survey proved that there is a 25 percent downfall in forwarding the texts. Still, it is a soft limit because no body can stop a person to forward the message.

CURE OF CORONA

Now WhatsApp has come under a spot light that is has become a place to spread maximum misinformation. Last month, CNN and other news organizations found that some false information is being spread on relation to the cure of the Corona virus. In response to this information, WhatsApp promoted a bot made by the World Health Organization which provides information about the disease that has been scrutinized by the professional doctors. Now, this app is being used by more than 10 million people. WhatsApp has also donated 1 million to the international fact-checking network.

THE DANGER TICKS: Whatsapp Fake News

Another viral message was circulated on the social networking sites regarding the spread of misinformation, WhatsApp has taken a step of “ticks.” They have introduced a new system so that they could get to know who is spreading misinformation and troubling people. Almost every WhatsApp user is aware of the system of ticks on WhatsApp. A single grey tick shows that the message has been sent. Two grey ticks determine the delivery of the message. And two blue ticks means the message has been read by the receiver. Now, the information which has been circulated is that from now onwards, three ticks will be visible to everyone. Three blue ticks mean that the government has taken note of your message. Two blue ticks and one red tick means that the government can take action. One blue tick and two red ticks mean that the government is “ screening your data.” Three red ticks mean that the government has initiated action against the doer and they will receive the court summons.

FAKE INFORMATION:Whatsapp fake News

The government on Tuesday unambiguously posted a message on Twitter that is a piece of fake information. The government has stepped up to investigate people behind this misinformation during the ongoing Coronavirus crises and also about the fake messages and videos circulating online. But this new system on “ticks” is fake news.

~ Kanika Khatri

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here