WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Facebook Inc. (FB) has announced a new update to its messenger service, which now limits users to forward messages only to five people or groups at a time. The social media giant expects the latest update will help curb the spread of fake news through the messaging platform.
'Limiting forwarding is an effective way to slow the spread of viral misinformation and harmful content that has the potential to cause real world harm,' said Jay Sullivan, Director of Product Management, Messenger Privacy and Safety.
'We believe controlling the spread of misinformation is critical as the global COVID-19 pandemic continues and we head toward major elections in the US, New Zealand and other countries. We've taken steps to provide people with greater transparency and accurate information,' he added.
Last year, Facebook had brought a similar forwarding limit to its WhatsApp chat app. However, in April, WhatsApp narrowed down the limit of frequently forwarded messages to one chat at a time.
Facebook has been severely criticized many times for not controlling spread of fake or misleading information on its platform. Imposing a limit on number of people you can forward a message does not eradicate fake news circulations, but it slows down the process.
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