WhatsApp recently received warnings from the Indian Government against its lack of mechanism to tackle the circulation of fake news. The warning came after a number of lynching incidents were recorded in some states of India.
The lynching incidents took place based on the rumors of child abduction, organ selling and so on. It led to the death of many innocent citizens in states including Maharashtra and Tripura. According to a report on the Firstpost, the death count so far is at 27.
Taking the warning seriously, WhatsApp has finally decided to control the spread of fake news through their application. A tool is being tested that can spot fake news. It will be added as a new feature on the updated version of WhatsApp.
According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp will be adding the new feature in its upcoming version 2.18.206 called ‘Suspicious link detection.’ However, it is only in its developmental stage and is yet to be completed and properly tested.
‘Suspicious Link Detection’ will allow WhatsApp to do a background checks on all the links shared using the App. If the the information proves to be fabricated or false, a ‘suspicious link’ flag will appear against the link.
It is being designed as a two step program. Therefore, if the user chooses to ignore the flag and move forward with the link, another alert will pop up alarming them and asking them if they really want to proceed.
According to WABetaInfo, all links analysed by WhatsApp will be done locally. However, there is no update on when this feature will be officially added.
Also Read: Hyderabad: Transgender Killed Over Whatsapp Fake News
