Yahoo Lifestyle Facebook limits forwarding on Messenger to fight misinformation
Messages can only be forwarded to five people or groups at a time.
In another attempt to fight misinformation, Facebook is introducing a forwarding limit on Messenger. Now, a message can only be forwarded to five people or groups at a time. Facebook says that will slow the spread of viral misinformation and harmful content.
“We are introducing a forwarding limit on Messenger to help curb the efforts of those looking to cause chaos, sow uncertainty or inadvertently undermine accurate information,” Facebook wrote in a blog post.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp introduced a similar forwarding limit in April and says doing so limited the spread of frequently forwarded messages. WhatsApp saw a 70 percent decrease in message forwarding around the world.
Facebook is under increased pressure to fight misinformation due to the coronavirus pandemic and upcoming election. The platform recently removed seven million posts with COVID-19 misinformation, including a post shared by President Trump. It’s reportedly testing a “virality circuit breaker” and plans to ban new political ads in the weeks before the election. It has also launched election and coronavirus info centers.
