(Image source from: Navva)

The Facebook-owned platform WhatsApp on Monday announced that it has globally lowered the forward limit chats to five, aiming to curb fake news.

“Starting today, WhatsApp will be implementing this change, globally i.e. all users on the latest versions of WhatsApp can now forward to only five chats at once,” the Facebook-owned platform said in a blog post.

Earlier, the company allowed users worldwide to forward messages for up to 20 chats (either individuals or groups).

"The new change will continue to help keep WhatsApp focused on private messaging with close contacts," it added.

The move has come earlier this year after the Indian government was tough on WhatsApp’s failure to check the spread of fake and provocative content on its platform. Then app rolled out its forward message limit to five chats for more than 200 million users in India.

In one of its notices, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said WhatsApp has been requested to come out with more effective solutions that can bring in accountability and facilitate enforcement of the law in addition to their efforts towards labeling forwards and identifying fake news.

The IT Ministry had also asked WhatsApp to guarantee that the platform is not used for malafide activities over the growing instances of the lynching of guiltless people owing to large number of irresponsible messages filled with rumors.

In August, Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told the visiting WhatsApp Chief Executive Officer Chris Daniels to comply with the Indian laws and take "suitable" measures to put a stop to misuse of the instant messaging platform in the country.

Besides, WhatsApp in September appointed Komal Lahiri as the Grievance Officer for India. Based out of WhatsApp's central office in Menlo Park, California, Lahiri can be contacted through email and general post.

-Sowmya Sangam