Keeping WhatsApp Personal and Private
With billions of people unable to see their friends and family in person due to COVID-19, people are relying on WhatsApp more than ever to communicate. People are talking to doctors, teachers, and isolated loved ones via WhatsApp during this crisis. That’s why all your messages and calls on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted by default to give you a secure place for your most personal conversations.
As a private messaging service, WhatsApp have taken several steps over the years to help keep conversations intimate. For example, WhatsApp previously set limits on forwarded messages to constrain virality. At the time, there was a 25% decrease in total message forwards globally.
Is all forwarding bad? Certainly not. Many users forward helpful information, as well as funny videos, memes, and reflections or prayers they find meaningful. In recent weeks, people have also used WhatsApp to organize public moments of support for frontline health workers. However, we’ve seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. It’s important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for personal conversation.
