Since
the beginning of this pandemic, there’s been an awful level of uncertainty
around us which has given birth to anxiety and vulnerability. Due to this
reason, many people started spreading hoax and inaccurate cures through
WhatsApp messaging – knowing that most people believe in anything and
everything without fact-checking and don’t even think twice before forwarding
those messages.
Despite
having good intentions, it’s important to forward only the messages that are
accurate and verified. Because of this reason, WhatsApp was under fire as there
was no way for users to find out whether or not the forwarded messages had any
truth to them or not.
Source: The Verge
After
months of criticism and dealing with Covid-19, WhatsApp has finally added the feature which allows its
users to check whether or not the piece of information is accurate. There will
be a small magnifying glass present on all forwarded messages that will help
you identify the truth. By clicking this button, a Google search will open on
the respective query enabling you a clear direction to solve the mystery and
clarify the confusion.
So
far, the option is available for users in Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, UK, and
the US on both iOS and Android.
In
the past, WhatsApp has tried to stop the spreading of false information a
number of times. Last Year in January, WhatsApp put a number limit on the
number of chats a message could be forwarded to. Previously, the number was 256
and it was drastically reduced to 5.