Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Jul 15, 2026

WhatsApp Is Imposing Stricter Limits On Forwarding Messages To Slow Down Coronavirus Misinformation

WhatsApp Is Imposing Stricter Limits On Forwarding Messages To Slow Down Coronavirus Misinformation

Once a message has been forwarded more than five times in total, it can now only be forwarded to one chat at a time.

WhatsApp is introducing new limits on forwarding messages to slow down the spread of misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic.

Starting today, any message or piece of content that has been forwarded more than five times can only be forwarded to a single person or a group at a time.

The change doesn’t stop people from forwarding a message to multiple users individually, but Facebook-owned WhatsApp is hoping to slow down the spread of hoaxes and misinformation.

“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,” WhatsApp said in a blog post published Tuesday. “We believe it’s important to slow the spread of these messages to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation.”

Misinformation, hoaxes, and rumors about the coronavirus outbreak have been rampant online and on messaging apps like WhatsApp, which is used by more than 2 billion users around the world. A CNN report showed that the messaging platform was a hot spot of medical misinformation related to the coronavirus. One of the forwards that went viral on WhatsApp, for instance, claimed that four people sick with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, got worse after taking anti-inflammatory drugs, a claim that was later debunked.

Last month, Leo Varadkar, the prime minister of Ireland, urged people to “please stop sharing unverified info” on WhatsApp groups. “These messages are scaring and confusing people and causing real damage,” he tweeted.

In India, WhatsApp’s largest market with more than 200 million users, government agencies have been busting WhatsApp misinformation related to the coronavirus. “We must strive to be vigilant and should not believe forwards going around without cross checking authenticity,” tweeted an official Indian government handle responsible for fact-checking misinformation about the Indian government.


WhatsApp first imposed forwarding limits in 2018 after a series of lynchings in India led to the deaths of more than 30 innocent people. After the change, WhatsApp users were able to send forwards to only five people or groups instead of 256 as they could earlier. In 2019, the company also started labeling forwards explicitly.

WhatsApp said imposing these limits led to a 25% decrease in forwarded messages globally at the time.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
Harvard Astrophysicist to Lead U.S. Scientific Advisory on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Emergency Sirens Activated Across Bahrain as Interior Ministry Issues Shelter Directives
World Cup Visitors Turn American Big-Box Stores Into Souvenir Stops
Netflix Weighs Always-On Channels, Bundles and Short-Form Video
The AI Invoice Shock: Layoffs Didn't Save Managers Money — They Cost Them More
Concern: Sexually Transmitted Bacterium Among Men Develops Antibiotic Resistance
Passenger Partially Pulled Out of Ryanair Jet After Cabin Window Fails Mid-Flight
Severe Heatwave Drives Dangerous Ground-Level Ozone Pollution Across Two Thirds of European Union
The Physical and Electronic Barriers Disrupting Domestic Wireless Networks
France and Morocco Open World Cup Quarter-Finals as Collina Defends Refereeing
Tech Pulse: The Future of AI and Screen Culture
Global News Briefing: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Corporate Shakeups
Global News Brief: Escalating Conflicts, Public Health Crises, and World Cup Drama
Europe's Growing Struggle with Extreme Heat and Air Conditioning
Anthropic Reengineers Agentic Architecture to Shift Autonomous Workplace Automation to the Cloud
Logic Flaw in Windows 11 Permission Architecture Silently Consumes Hundreds of Gigabytes of Local Storage
Apple Advances Late-Stage Operating Systems with Fourth Beta Deployments
Global Crisis Alert: Escalating Middle East Tensions and UK Political Upheaval
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
United Nations Secretary-General Warns Global Order Facing Highest Level of Conflict Since 1945
Israel Issues Sweeping Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon Amid Intensified Hezbollah Conflict
Russia Announces Systemic Military Strikes Targeting Ukrainian Defense and Energy Infrastructure
United States and Iranian Negotiators Reach Draft Agreement to Extend Ceasefire and Resume Nuclear Talks
United Nations Security Council Deeply Divided Over United States Capture of Venezuelan President
US and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes Amid Fragile Gulf Ceasefire
×