Whatsapp Is Reportedly Testing A Suspicious Link Detection Feature

Recently, WhatsApp has also been trying to come up with ways to curb the propagation of fake news on the platform. According to a report from WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has begun testing this new feature, and it is a part of beta version for Android.

The feature has been added to WhatsApp’s latest beta version 2.18.206 on Android but beta users can’t currently test it probably because it needs significant tweaks and enhancements before being used by a large user-set.

Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

Once updated, WhatsApp will notify users that the forwarded message has a malicious link comprising unusual characters and it may be trying to appear as another site. This information will help users to proceed with caution.

From the screenshots posted by WABetaInfo guys highlight that WhatsApp also warns users when they try to open the link with a message that reads, “This link contains unusual characters. It may be trying to appear as another site.” It has also been claimed that WhatsApp analyses the link locally. This suggests that the links will not be sent to WhatsApp servers and the user data won’t be compromised for sake of detecting suspicious links.

However, it is expected to take a month or two before it arrives at the public forum, as the Facebook-owned company wants to make sure the security feature is fool-proof. When Techunzipped tried the reported Suspicious Link Detection feature on any of our Android devices using the latest WhatsApp beta version, we were not able to detect any.

WhatsApp is trying hard to curb the menace of fake news being circulated on its platform for quite some time. Here are some of the other steps it has taken till now:

• There is always the option to block people. It also prompts unknown senders with an option to either block or adds the contact on WhatsApp.
• Feature to prevent users from adding others back into groups which they left.
• Group admins can decide and even restrict another member from sending texts in a particular group.
• Demote group admins. With this, you can demote existing group admins to member status with limited rights.
• The “Forwarded” label feature allows users to know if the message has been written or forwarded.