FINALLY! WhatsApp has announced a new restriction on message forwarding as it seeks to combat the rise of misinformation campaigns flowing through the app. As explained by WhatsApp: "Last year we introduced users to the concept of messages that have been forwarded many times. These messages are labeled with double arrows to indicate they did not originate from a close contact. In effect, these messages are less personal compared to typical messages sent on WhatsApp. We are now introducing a limit so that these messages can only be forwarded to one chat at a time." There was a time when users were free to forward WhatsApp messages to 256 people if they wanted, but more recently, the app has increasingly become a weapon of choice for misinformation campaigns – which have been particularly damaging, at times, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Snapchat introduces new lens to raise awareness about corona virus

As part of the continued expansion of its COVID-19 awareness efforts, Snapchat has this week launched a new Lens experience which uses Snap's advancing image recognition system to trigger a new World Health Organisation visual when you scan in a currency note from your region. Snapchat has the potential to play a key role in limiting the spread of COVID-19 due to its reach among younger audience segments. While evidence shows that younger people are not as susceptible to coronavirus as older citizens, more recent investigation has indicated that many young people may actually asymptomatic, which means that they could well be carrying and spreading the virus in the community without ever knowing it.

Facebook enables users to create their own gaming events

Facebook is launching a new option which will enable gamers to organise their own tournaments within the Facebook Gaming platform, providing an immediate way to boost gaming engagement amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, while also furthering Facebook's broader gaming ambitions. The capacity to create your own gaming tournaments provides another way to connect gamers on Facebook. You can set up your tournament by adding start and end dates, images, descriptions, allocating co-hosts, and publishing your event publicly or in private. Facebook has been developing its tournaments feature for some time, but has fast-tracked the option due to the COVID-19 pandemic.