The development department at WhatsApp is experimenting with a couple of new features to halt the tide of fake news. The Facebook-owned communication app is trying to handle the controversies it has been dealing in the past to serve and resolve its legitimacy issues. The update version 2.19.73 will enable the users and give them the option of reverse image search via Google to reveal the similar or exact images travelling on the web. The option will come by opting the three doted option on the right-hand side where an option will say “Search Image”. With the information obtained, the user will be able to figure out more properly whether the visual depicting the information is valid and relatable to the post it has been placed in.
In the first week of March 2019, the Sri Lankan government banned the social media communicational applications including Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp in the country to stop the fake news fueling around on these platforms regarding the ethnic collisions. Another incident happened in Mexico where two of the men were burned alive who were falsely accused of trafficking organs of the children.
The press conference conducted in India by the company revealed its strategies ahead of the upcoming Indian Election where they unhesitantly mentioned the early steps are taken and tools introduced by the company to minimize and combat the escalation of fake news. Apparently, the company tends to ban around two million abusive or fraudulent users every single month with the banned words algorithms or simply by a scam or hate messages.
WhatsApp has also restricted the numbers of each message forwarded to other users to 5. Notably, it was 20 before this recent update which was another reason for the malevolent messages to spread around more widely.
Here Are Some Tips And Tricks You Can Use To Help Prevent The Spread Of Fake News On Whatsapp
- Look out for when the message is forwarded
When a message is forwarded on WhatsApp, it indicates the user with a “Forward” label on the message. It helps the user to identify whether the sender wrote the message or it came along with someone else. Double check the information as sometimes third-party apps can send scam links via the users who may have mistakenly allowed.
- Check the media carefully
Photos, audio links, videos, and certain links can mislead you. If you receive some news on your WhatsApp, check out the credibility of it. You may also Google the headline to see if the story has been posted multiple times which may clear the doubts about whether it is fake or actual.
- Check the messages that seem different
Look for the signs in the message that appear mumble-jumble to check if the information is accurate or not. Many fake or unauthorized websites will have spelling mistakes on the link titles or may also contain hoax content.
- You also need to check your biased material
When the information includes some sort of facts which are hard to believe and go against your existing thoughts, make sure you review or just eliminate it from sharing further.
- Not to ignore, Fake often gets more Viral
It doesn’t mean that the information that has been shared the most is authentic. It is more common for fake content to travel faster as people want to get along with the trend.
- How to verify the sources
If you feel like the message is not authentic, you can check it from the online trusted, informative websites or you may want to confirm it from the people you trust and can discuss the information.
- And finally, stop spreading the false
If you feel like or have figured out that the information or message you received might be fake or misinterpreting, the thing you can do is not further send it or share it anywhere else. If an account is continually sending you fraudulent or inappropriate content, you have the immediate option to report it.