WhatsApp forwards down by 70% after imposing restrictions: Report

WhatsApp has reportedly witnessed a 70 percent plunge in forwarded messages after it recently imposed new restrictions on its platform.

The Facebook-owned messaging app told the government that it had witnessed the dip after introducing a limit to only one chat for forwarding messages. Previously, WhatsApp allowed a user to forward a message to five chats at a time, both individual and group chats included.

However, as a part of its measures to stop the spread of misinformation related to coronavirus, the company now allows users to share forwarded messages to only one user at a time.

“WhatsApp is committed to doing our part in tackling viral messages. Since putting into place the new limit, globally, there has been a 70 per cent reduction in the number of highly forwarded messages sent on WhatsApp. This change is helping keep WhatsApp a place for personal and private conversations,” a WhatsApp spokesperson told the Business Standard.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

The company also partnered with the Indian government to launch a dedicated MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot for coronavirus-related queries. Users just need to save the number — 9013151515 — in their contacts list and send a message to get a response without any charges.

WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in India and many other parts of the world, has also been widely criticised for inadequate measures taken to curb the spread of fake news and misinformation. The messaging app has over 400 million users in India.