WhatsApp has placed new limits on message forwarding as part of an effort to curb the spread of misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic.

The new policy limits users to forwarding certain messages to one chat at a time, aiming to limit the rapid propagation of content which is provocative but likely to be false.



The Facebook-owned messaging platform said that it took the action to enable people to concentrate on personal and private communications during the health crisis.

Last year, WhatsApp set limits on forwarded messages to five chats at a time, to constrain virality, responding to events in India where the rapid proliferation of unverified information led to mob violence.

