Brazil prosecutors ask WhatsApp to delay launch of new tool until January

FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Whatsapp logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian prosecutors on Friday called on messaging platform WhatsApp to delay the launch in Brazil of its new feature called Communities until January to avoid the spread of fake news during and immediately after the country's election in October.

The federal prosecutors said the expanded reach of the new tool comes "at a time when fake news about the functioning of institutions and the integrity of the Brazilian voting system could jeopardize the democratic stability of the country."