Published 19:26 IST, August 4th 2020
WhatsApp Reverse Search will help you fact check forwarded messages & images
WhatsApp has started rolling out the Reverse Search feature that allows users to fact check viral messages & images online. Here is everything you must know.
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The WhatsApp beta feature to reverse check forwarded messages on the messenger app has now started rolling out for public use as well. This feature allows you to not only check whether the information is legitimate or not, but it also ensures that the fake text messages do not create any kind of a ruckus. This means now you can feel safer than before as you would not be misled by any such propaganda.
WhatsApp Reverse Search feature has started rolling out
The WhatsApp reverse search feature was rolled out not so long ago for all the beta testers of the app. It has been noted that the users will be able to see a 'Magnifying Glass' next to frequently forwarded messages. and to see whether the forwarded message is fake or real you just have to tap on the 'Magnifying Glass' icon. This will activate the WhatsApp reverse search feature to fact check the forwarded message. It will then launch a search on the web to see if the message legitimate or not. You can also search the most forwarded images by selecting the image on chat and then tapping on the 'More' icon with three vertical dots on the top-right corner. You will see the third option of "Search image" which will help you fact check the received picture.
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Image ~ WhatsApp Beta
How does WhatsApp choose a forwarded message for fact check?
WhatsApp reverse search works only for popular and viral messages. It chooses one of the forwarded messages that are sent across for more than five times in a chain. These messages are then added into the frequently forwarded messages; those messages are marked as double arrows with forwarded label on the top.
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Is WhatsApp reading our messages for the WhatsApp reverse search feature?
As per the app guidelines, Whatsapp follows the end-to-end encryption policy. This means that the Facebook-owned messenger app cannot read your messages and it only transfers the users on the web with multiple links and it is the user who would have to go through the fact check to determine if the received message is misinformative or not.
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Currently, this feature is only available for public use in countries like Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, UK, and the US for all versions of WhatsApp. In India, the feature has only rolled out for beta testers until now. However, it is not long when the WhatsApp reverse check feature would be available in India as well since the country reportedly has more than 400 million WhatsApp users.
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19:26 IST, August 4th 2020