WhatsApp targets false information

Over the past two years, at least two dozen people in India have been killed in violent mobs incited by rumors on WhatsApp, the global messaging service with 1.5 billion users. The Facebook-owned app has also played host to disinformation campaigns in several other countries, a recent report found, including in Brazil, Pakistan and Mexico. And unlike disruptive campaigns on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, the messages on WhatsApp are private and encrypted, traveling from person to person and to larger groups with fewer ways for the company or outside experts to see where inflammatory messages originate.

In an attempt to combat the viral spread of false information, WhatsApp is limiting the number of times a user can forward a message to five. The new global limit comes after the company tested a cap on forwarded messages in July, restricting users in India to five message forwards and all other users to 20 forwards. India is home to the highest number of forwarded messages, photos and videos, WhatsApp says. The previous limit set in the country came after a surge in mob violence fueled by rumors on the app.

In an updated blog post Monday, WhatsApp said it evaluated the test restrictions over the past six months and found that the cap “significantly reduced forwarded messages around the world.”