This new WhatsApp feature will alert you of ‘dangerous’ messages
With criminals and anti-social elements increasingly using WhatsApp to share fake through group chats, the company is planning to add in new features to check this misuse of its instant messaging app. The Facebook-owned chat platform is reportedly testing a new feature that will alert users of fake news that is forwarded in groups. Going forward, WhatsApp will automatically check the authenticity of the website links that are being shared through its upcoming ‘Suspicious Link’ feature.
How will the ‘Suspicious Link’ feature help you?
Once this feature is rolled-out, the moment you receive a link to a website on WhatsApp, the app will do a background check of the link to the website and will alert you if it finds something fishy. “When WhatsApp detects a suspicious link, the message is marked with a red label,” says a report in WaBetaInfo. The red label will indicate that either it’s spam or phishing link or is redirecting to a fake news website. Sometimes, third-party links can redirect to malicious website that download malware in the background.
The feature has been spotted in WhatsApp 2.18.204 beta version. We can expect WhatsApp to roll out this feature very soon. 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 add the contact on WhatsApp.
* Feature to prevent users from from adding others back into groups which they left.
* Group admins can decide and even restrict other 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 being written or forwarded. Courtesy: www.timesofindia.com
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Centre doubles fines for stubble burning
New Delhi, Nov 7: The Centre has doubled the fine for farmers burning crop residue in view of the deteriorating air quality in the Delhi-NCR region, the penalty going up to Rs 30,000 for those with more than five acres of farmland.
According to the notification, which was published on Wednesday and comes following the Supreme Court's tough stance on the issue, farmers with less than two acres of land will now have to pay environmental compensation of Rs 5,000, up from Rs 2,500. And those with land between two and five acres will be fined Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 5,000.
Unfavourable meteorological conditions combined with vehicular emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during late autumn and winters.
According to a Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) analysis, the city experiences peak pollution from November 1 to 15 when the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increases.
Major factors behind stubble burning include the paddy-wheat cropping system, cultivation of long-duration paddy varieties, mechanised harvesting that leaves standing crop stubble in the field, labour scarcity, and the lack of a viable market for crop residue.
Studies estimate that during peak burning periods, farm fires contribute up to 30 per cent of PM levels in the Delhi-NCR region and surrounding areas.
However, according to senior environmentalist Sunita Narain, the episodic burning of crop residue by farmers in winter is not the primary concern for poor air quality in Delhi-NCR. Instead, the persistent and major sources of pollution within the city, including transport and industries, are more worrisome.
