WhatsApp also provided users with guidelines and safety tips for misinformation on the platform, including how to report false news and insights on media literacy. Overall, the rise of private messaging apps, in general, presents challenges to content moderation efforts.Īs WhatsApp’s content is double-encrypted private messaging, most of the examples here are examples provided by the WhatsApp Blog and FAQ center.Īs a subsidiary company of Facebook Inc., WhatsApp provided fact-check resources through the International Fact Check Network (IFCN) on WhatsApp so that users could text fact-checkers to verify information or report false news. Most of the content moderation implementations on WhatsApp do not involve labeling specific content, but rather identify a risk or notify a user of a certain messaging function. The platform must rely mostly on user reports and third party fact-checks. The lack of content moderation by WhatsApp limits the capacity for labeling misinformation or harmful content - and regulation of information generally on the platform. This end-to-end encryption on WhatsApp means that only the users in communication with one another have access to the content shared, and it is not visible for any sort of content moderation by the platform. Unlike the other public social network sharing platforms, users who share content on WhatsApp are protected by double-encryption.

While an internet connection or mobile data is required to operate the app, there are no restrictions on the number of calls or messaging.

It is a free platform that enables messaging text, phone calls, and video calls, as well as other media such as voice clips, videos, and photos. In 2014, Facebook announced its acquisition of WhatsApp, a popular global SMS application.

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