The new 'Suspicious Link' feature will automatically verify all shared links and warn users beforehand if they are safe to be opened.
Nowadays, Whatsapp made problems based on the messages like
in the form of form images , text or links. Today whatsapp rolled a feature
about to control fake messges from the link. With fake news and lynchings more
visible than ever, WhatsApp has become a convenient scapegoat for everything
that's wrong with the country right now. There's no simple technology fix to
the problem though, but for now, WhatsApp is planning to research the problem
to see what solutions are possible. The latest feature being that it will alert
users of fake news forwaded within the groups.
Whatsapp will automatically check the authenticity of the website links
that are being shared through the new “Suspicious link” feature.
According to WABetaInfo, the app is now receiving suspicious
link detection functionality. This link contains unusual characters. It may be
trying to appear as another site,” reads a second warning upon tapping the link
in question. Nevertheless, users are free to continue to the website anyway. According
to a report by Gadgets Now , the link detection is done locally rather than
being sent to WhatsApp servers. The feature is presently available on the
2.18.204 beta version of WhatsApp. Whenever a user receives a link to a third
party website, WhatsApp will conduct a background check to verify the
authenticity of the website and will alert the user if it identifies something
suspicious.
Upon identifying a dubious website, WhatsApp will mark it
with a red label, which will highlight that the message is either spam or will
redirect to a fake website. If a suspicious link is detected, it will be shown
with a red label, and if you try and open the link, you'll be shown a pop-up
window warning you again. This will
protect users from phishing sites which might try and steal your personal data,
such as your logins and passwords. This feature is available in Whatsapp 2.18.204
beta version and can be rolled out very soon. The feature has been added to
WhatsApp's latest beta version 2.18.206 on Android but beta users can't
currently test it probably because it needs significant tweaks and improvements
before being used by a large user-set.
Whatsapp Is also took some steps to protect from fake
messages. Last week Introduced Send
Messages Can Only Admins, Group
administrators can allow or restrict other members from sending messages in a
group. Similarly, WhatsApp will be taking other steps to curb the spread of
fake news. Some messages have a Forwaded title when anyone send messages, the
"Forwarded" label allows users to identify whether the message has
been written or forwarded. In response to the killings and government
criticism, the Facebook-owned platform will reportedly roll out a feature that
helps users determine when a message is forwarded rather than written by the
sender. The company has also teamed up with an Indian fact-checking group to
fight hoax news stories.
