[ad_1]
Facebook may not yet have achieved that unified messaging platform that it is rumored to be so eager to have, but the social media giant is at least trying to unify some of the behavior across its various social media.
Earlier this year, its WhatsApp instant messaging property began limiting the number of times a message can be forwarded and now Facebook is doing the same with its own Messenger, all in order to curb misinformation.
“Limiting forwarding is an effective way to slow the spread of viral misinformation and harmful content that has the potential to cause harm in the real world,” says Jay Sullivan, executive responsible for privacy and security at Messenger, in a post from official blog.
SEE ALSO: Facebook is reportedly working on WhatsApp-Messenger integration
The social media giant adds that it is imposing a cap on message forwarding to thwart the efforts of bad actors seeking to cause chaos and undermine accurate information. The decision was made in light of the coronavirus pandemic (and the spread of linked conspiracy theories), as well as upcoming elections in the US, New Zealand and other countries.
Speaking of elections, Facebook has also announced that it will not accept new political ads in the week before the US elections. Additionally, the company also mentioned that it will remove posts that discourage people from voting by stoking fears of the virus.
Earlier this month, Facebook also introduced its Voting Information Center on its platform and on Instagram and Messenger to help users discover accurate and easy-to-find voting information wherever they live. This was preceded by the company increasing security on Messenger by adding support for Face ID or fingerprint recognition to protect chats.
SEE ALSO: Why You Shouldn’t Use Facebook Messaging Rooms: A Non-exhaustive List
