How two of the world’s biggest chat apps tackle fake news

“Eating breakfast frequently is dangerous.”

“Orange peel can unlock smartphones.”

“Australia announced the end of cancer.”

These were all actual story headlines circulated on China’s biggest chat app last year. None of them sound particularly convincing, but they became some of the most widely spread hoaxes on WeChat in 2018.

Around the world, social media firms are grappling with ways to tackle the spread of misinformation.

If you’re a WhatsApp user, for instance, you may notice that starting from this week onwards, you can only forward a message up to five times. It’s a new measure adopted by the app’s owner, Facebook, to curb fake news, which plagued users in India, Brazil, and many other places.

Placing limits on message sharing isn’t new, but the way it’s done differs from platform to platform. On WhatsApp, where messages are encrypted from end to end, it’s difficult for moderators to read what’s actually being shared and deal with them directly.

WeChat operates differently – it may not surprise you that it takes a more direct approach. Every month, it posts a list of the top 10 rumors on its official account. It also runs a mini program that flags any fake news articles you may have read. Tencent says the mini program has been used by some 38 million people.

But sometimes, WeChat also bans content outright. It regularly blocks certain links and articles from being shared, whether they’re rumors, scams, or spam.

The measure isn’t limited to fighting fake news. It also targets a long list of other content deemed inappropriate by WeChat, including obscene materials and solicitation for religious donations.

There’s even one category called “content that induces sharing.” If you’re not sure what that means, remember those hilariously ominous chain emails that say you will die unless you forward the message to five people? Yup, that’s banned.

WeChat says it wants to provide users with a better social experience. But sometimes, its actions also lead to plenty of questions.

Most recently, WeChat banned links to three new rival social apps – including one from TikTok creator Bytedance – prompting speculation that it was done to crack down on potential competitors. WeChat owner Tencent denied the accusation, saying the apps were blocked due to unsafe content and user complaints.

Last month, a WeChat post by the US Embassy in Beijing was inexplicably blocked from forwarding or sharing. The article was about trade talks between China and the US.