Facebook announced Thursday that it is introducing a forwarding limit on Messenger. Users will only be able to forward something on to five people or groups at any one time.
Facebook Messenger Forwarding Limit to Help Stop COVID-19 and Election Misinformation
In a blog post, Jay Sullivan, the social media giant’s Director of Product Management, Messenger Privacy and Safety wrote:
Limiting forwarding is an effective way to slow the spread of viral misinformation and harmful content that has the potential to cause real world harm. We believe controlling the spread of misinformation is critical as the global COVID-19 pandemic continues and we head toward major elections in the US
No New Political Ads Seven Days Before Election
Furthermore, Facebook said that it will not be accepting new political adverts in the week before the U.S. Presidential election. The company vowed to remove posts that claim people will get COVID-19 if they vote. Facebook “will attach an informational label to content that seeks to delegitimize the outcome of the election or discuss the legitimacy of voting methods,” an announcement added. Labels will also be added to a post in which any candidate or campaign attempts to declare victor before the final results are in.