WhatsApp launches ‘Search the Web’ feature to curb misinformation

WhatsApp is piloting a new feature that enables users to easily search the content of viral messages and verify them for misinformation.

A magnifying glass icon will start appearing next to messages sent through a chain of five or more individuals. Tapping it scans for the content of the message online. The intention of the new feature is that it will expose any common conspiracy theories or rumors found in the messages.

In a screenshot depicting the latest feature, WhatsApp uses the example of a viral message stating that “drinking freshly boiled garlic water will heal COVID-19.” A web search covers three fact-checking websites that identify this claim as false. It was reported in March this year that medical misinformation on the Facebook-owned messaging service was becoming a growing concern.

Attempts by Facebook to monitor misinformation on WhatsApp are complicated due to the end-to-end encryption of the app, which restricts it from knowing the contents of any messages sent to the application.

The latest feature gives users the ability to check information on their own, instead of WhatsApp proactively scanning messages for common theories of conspiracy. WhatsApp clarifies that any message a user wants to scan will be sent directly to their browser “without WhatsApp ever seeing the message itself.”

This is just the latest addition WhatsApp has brought in to try and curb the spread of misinformation on its platform. Back in April, it set new limits on viral message forwarding. Viral messages could only be forwarded to one person after the changes, down from the previous maximum of five.

WhatsApp later claimed that the initiative was successful in decreasing the spread of spam messages by 70%.

WhatsApp also provides a special forwarded label for messages that have been forwarded multiple times. The two arrows let people know that they have received a message that was not written by their sender.

Search the web will be available in the new versions of WhatsApp for Android, iOS and WhatsApp Web in Brazil, Ireland, UK, Spain, Italy, Mexico and the US.