WhatsApp limits message forwarding in the fight against misinformation.

WhatsApp will now limit users to forward a message only five times.

According to Reuters The five-fold forwarding limit is being implemented worldwide as of today.

While fake stories and misleading Facebook groups have been the focus of attention in the U.S., misinformation on WhatsApp has become a problem in other parts of the world.

In Brazil, it became a particularly important issue ahead of the country's presidential election in October, as voting misinformation, conspiracy theories and false stories about the candidates spread across the web.

A study of the most shared images in Brazilian political group chats found that more than half of the top 50 images were misleading, and many were either completely false or presented out of context.

WhatsApp initially limited messages to be forwarded 20 times in July. And the five-fold forwarding limit was tested in India. Before that, you could forward a message to up to 256 people.

WhatsApp also began tagging forwarded messages at that time.

The initial limits were prompted by a series of mob attacks and murders in India, triggered by the spread of false information about child abductions.

Messages can still be forwarded to groups, with each group including up to 256 people.

A forwarded message could be put in front of nearly 1,300 people, despite the time limit of five. The spread of misinformation may not necessarily be as limiting as it seems.

WhatsApp did not immediately disclose any data on whether it had seen a decrease, We have contacted for more information.

Fighting disinformation on WhatsApp presents challenges than disinformation on Facebook. WhatsApp is done through private and encrypted channels, limits the ability of moderators to see what is going on and intervene.