WhatsApp which is one of the world largest Instant Messaging app in an effort to combat spam, spoofing and phishing on its platform had recently started testing the Suspicious Link Indicator feature in Android beta version 2.18.204. But as of now this testing was limited to a very small number of beta users. Now, WhatsApp has rolled out the Suspicious Link Indicator feature to all users on Android beta starting from the version 2.18.221. Along with this, WhatsApp has set up a FAQ page which is a frequently Asked Questions on its website, detailing how the feature works.
WhatsApp beta on Android 2.18.221 has the ability to tag a ‘Suspicious Link’ whenever a contact sends one to you. This update is expected to warn unknowing users of a suspicious link before they open it the message. WhatsApp will also reportedly alert the user once again by looking for unusual characters if they try to open the link. Two options will be provided to the users, Open Link and Go Back, will be provided. The suspicious character is highlighted in the dialogue box that appears when you try to open the link. The new Suspicious Link Detection feature isn’t currently available on the Operating System of iOS and Windows Phone but will be rolled out soon in the future as per the company official reports.
In the FAQ page, WhatsApp says, “This indicator may appear when a link contains a combination of characters that is considered unusual. Spammers may use these character combinations to trick you into tapping on links that appear to go to a legitimate website, but actually take you to a malicious site.”
Latest week, WhatsApp announced that it is planning to limit message of all the forwarding capabilities for Indian users in the wake of mob incidents which is happening in the country. The plan includes a lower limit of 5 messages and the removal of the “quick forward” shortcut from media messages which is making it much more easier. The company also claimed that Indian users forward more messages and videos than any other market in the world.
