META Meta Platforms Inc

By Krishna Pokharel 

NEW DELHI -- Facebook Inc.'s WhatsApp messaging service is making it harder for users world-wide to forward content, after the spread of rumors on the app led to mob violence and the killing of more than 20 people in India.

False messages about roaming child-kidnapping gangs spread through WhatsApp -- one of the most widely used apps in India with over 200 million monthly active users -- have triggered a spate of lynching as panicked groups attack strangers they find suspicious, Indian authorities have said.

WhatsApp's announcement Thursday came a day after Facebook under a new policy said it would begin removing misinformation that could spark violence. The initiative will start in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, which have also struggled with violence fueled by false reports spread on social media.

The Indian government earlier this month asked WhatsApp to take immediate action to stop the misuse of its platform, saying rumors circulated on the messaging service had led to deadly attacks.

The Menlo Park, Calif.-based company said in a blog post that it is putting restrictions on the number of groups to which a message can be forwarded.

"Today, we're launching a test to limit forwarding that will apply to everyone using WhatsApp," the WhatsApp blog said. "In India -- where people forward more messages, photos, and videos than any other country in the world -- we'll also test a lower limit of 5 chats at once."

For WhatsApp users outside India, the limit on forwarding will be 20. This is the first time that WhatsApp has put restrictions on forwarding on its platform in India and globally.

In effect, one user will now be able to forward something to only five or 20 chats -- both individual and group -- at a time on WhatsApp.

The company also said it was removing what it called the "quick forward" button in India, which comes up on the side of media content on the app. This means users will have to go through more steps if they want to forward information.

In India, WhatsApp has published advertisements in major newspapers with tips for its users to help them decide "if something sent to you on WhatsApp is true." It also started labeling forwarded messages on its platform to help users determine if their "friend or relative wrote the message they sent or if it originally came from someone else," the company wrote in a separate blog post earlier in the month.

The steps taken so far by WhatsApp apparently haven't assuaged the Indian government, which said in a statement late Thursday that "much more needs to be done."

"When rumors and fake news get propagated by mischief mongers, the medium used for such propagation cannot evade responsibility and accountability," India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said. "If they remain mute spectators they are liable to be treated as abettors and thereafter face consequent legal action," it added.

The ministry said it had asked WhatsApp to "come out with more effective solutions that can bring in accountability and facilitate enforcement of law."

A WhatsApp spokesman said Friday that the company was horrified by the recent acts of violence in India. Tackling such challenges posed by misinformation would "need action by government, civil society and technology companies," he said.

Write to Krishna Pokharel at krishna.pokharel@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 20, 2018 14:34 ET (18:34 GMT)

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