Facebook Inc's WhatsApp in a statement announced that it is launching a test to limit forwarding messages that will apply to all users, after a series of violent incidents in India triggered by false social media messages. WhatsApp also said that for India, it will also test a lower limit of five chats at once and remove the quick forward button next to media messages. Indians forward more messages, photos, and videos than any other country in the world. Lynching and deaths had triggered in India by false incendiary messages. WhatsApp's biggest market with more than 200 million users, caused a public relations nightmare, sparking calls from authorities for immediate action.

WhatsApp had already rolled out a new feature that will let its users identify the messages that are forwarded, as the popular messaging app looks to combat fake news and false information in India. WhatsApp also unleashed a user awareness drive in the country after drawing flak from the Indian government over fake and provocative messages being circulated on its platform. These messages had incited mob-fury, triggering multiple cases of lynching across parts of India and, in turn, prompted the government to issue a stern warning to the company to clamp down on hoax messages designed to “provoke” and “instigate” people. The government had also made it clear that WhatsApp “cannot evade accountability and responsibility“.

“WhatsApp will indicate which messages you receive have been forwarded to you. This extra context will help make one-on-one and group chats easier to follow. It also helps you determine if your friend or relative wrote the message they sent or if it originally came from someone else,” WhatsApp said in a global statement. Users will need to have the latest supported version of WhatsApp on their phone to see the new forwarding label, the company explained. The company encourages the user to think before sharing messages that were forwarded. As a reminder, the user can report spam or block a contact in one tap and can always reach out to WhatsApp directly for help.

WhatsApp had also begun an awareness campaign to help users identify and prevent the spread of false information, hoax messages, and fake news. The Facebook-owned messaging service brought out the full-page advertisement in leading newspapers, first in the series of its user awareness drive, giving “easy tips” to determine if the information received is, indeed, true.