WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the world’s largest messaging app, with over 1.6 billion users around the globe.¹ The messaging platform, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014, has received significant criticism for fueling the spread of misinformation and disinformation globally, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.²

While Facebook and WhatsApp jointly post updates on their efforts through Facebook’s COVID-19 information center, the fact that WhatsApp is an end-to-end encrypted messaging platform raises other challenges related to combating disinformation and misinformation. Encryption is vital for privacy and security, and therefore, managing misinformation and disinformation in an encrypted environment requires different approaches. Because the company cannot see the content of messages, WhatsApp cannot identify and fact-check misleading content and/or subsequently append warnings and explanations to such content. Instead, the platform has worked to connect users with legitimate and authoritative information related to the virus.³ On March 20, WhatsApp launched the WHO’s Health Alert, a free tip line feature that enables users to access timely and legitimate information related to the virus, such as how it is spread, travel guidance, and information that debunks commonly circulated misinformation stories. The service was initially launched in English, and will also be available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, and Russian.⁴

In addition, in early April, the company also placed new, stricter limits on the number of times a forwarded message can be shared.⁵ If a message has already been forwarded five times, the receiving user can only pass it on to other chats one at a time. These restrictions are far more stringent than those that were previously introduced. For example, two years ago, WhatsApp limited forwarding to 250 groups at once, and one year ago, these restrictions were tightened so that forwarding was limited to five groups.⁶ According to Whatsapp, the latest restrictions have resulted in a 70 percent drop in the spread of “highly forwarded messages” around the globe.⁷

WhatsApp also has the capability to detect and ban accounts that engage in spam or suspicious behavior.⁸ To the extent that WhatsApp is using these approaches to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the service during the pandemic, the company should publish data outlining the scope and scale of these enforcement actions during the pandemic. This data should be published periodically during the pandemic as well as in a COVID-19-specific transparency report following the pandemic. Whatsapp does not currently publish this data generally. Going forward, the company should also begin publishing this data during non-emergency time periods as well.