WhatsApp limits message forwards in attempt to fight fake news

(FILES) In this file photo taken on March 22, 2018 This photo illustration shows Whatsapp logos on a screen in Kuala Lumpur. - Facebook-owned mobile messaging platform WhatsApp announced on January 21, 2019 it was restricting how many times any given message can be forwarded in an effort to boost privacy and security. (Photo by Manan VATSYAYANA / AFP)

Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp messaging service has begun to globally restrict the number of people a message can be forwarded to, in an attempt to fight fake and misleading information from going viral on its platform. 

The app tested limiting forwarding in India last summer, to five recipients or groups, as rumors and fake videos spread rapidly on its network that were subsequently linked to violence in the country.