WhatsApp launches new feature to control being added to groups

Popular instant messaging app, WhatsApp has launched new controls that allow you to limit who can add you to group messages. Some of the media reports have said that the app lets you to stop people from adding you to groups if they are not a contact in your address book. As an alternative, you can also prevent anyone at all from being able to add you or otherwise leave the option open to all.

The new feature is just a portion of a host of changes the service is making to try and stop misinformation from easily getting spread. A report from a leading daily mentioned that before the elections in Brazil in 2018, political campaigners were using software to automatically add swaths of people to politically motivated WhatsApp groups without their consent. More reports revealed that similar practices were also held in India as well.

For now WhatsApp has already limited the amount of times a message can be forwarded to just five. It has also labeled forwarded messages to draw attention to them. WhatsApp on April 2, 2019 launched a new fact-checking service in India in which the users can use to verify the truthfulness of any messages they have been sent. Moreover, users that restrict who can add them to groups can still be added with the help of private invitation. The users can receive a link that gives them a basic information about the group that they have been invited to and can choose to join if they want to.

The link that is sent for the invitation expires in 72 hours. Earlier a WhatsApp support page had noted that the only way to prevent being added to the group was to block the group’s admin. The new settings can be accessed by going to Account option in the settings menu and select Privacy then Groups and the users will be able to add you to a group.

Photo Credits: Livemint