With the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the spread of misinformation has been faster than ever. To curb this, one of the world’s most widely-used instant messenger, WhatsApp, has taken a radical step. It’ll limit the forwarding of messages to only one contact or person at a time.

Previously, you could send the message to up to five people in one go. However, there have been numerous reports of users abusing this feature to spread unverified information. This has lead to a sudden rise in panic amid the pandemic and authorities across the world have failed to curb this nuisance.

WhatsApp in a blog post said, “We’ve seen a significant increase in the amount of forwarding which users have told us can feel overwhelming and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. We believe it’s important to slow the spread of these messages down to keep WhatsApp a place for a personal conversation.”

This will go a long way in curbing the spread of misinformation as users will not be able to spread it as quickly as they could earlier. This isn’t the first time the Facebook-owned company has curbed the limit. A few years ago, it limited the feature to five contacts and noticed a drop of 25 percent in forwards globally. Additionally, it also started marking forwarded messages with “double arrow” labels to notify readers that it’s not an original message.

The app is widely used in developing countries in Asia. India is one of its prime markets due to the high population and affordable availability of mobile data.

WhatsApp has also affirmed that it’s constantly working with health authorities around the globe to ease the Coronavirus spread. In association with the WHO, it has already launched a chatbot that can quickly address concerns as well as answer questions about the virus.

SEE ALSO: How to disinfect your tech from the coronavirus | Coronavirus porn is trending on Pornhub | Here’s where you can donate to the COVID-19 outbreak efforts | 4 ways you can use TikTok to help during the COVID-19 crisis

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As general rules, the CDC or The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed these to help with preventing the spread of COVID-19:

• Stay home when sick
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Frequently wash hands with soap and water
• Clean frequently touched surfaces

Along with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation related to the disease also saw a dramatic increase. One that’s particularly worrying is the absolutely false claim that 5G is helping spread the virus. Let us reiterate — this absolutely false.

An indicator of the gravity of this misinformation is the recent developments that happened in the UK over the past few days. A report by BBC says three 5G cell towers were set on fire in various parts of the country. Police are still investigating the incident, but arson is the likely culprit for the towers’ fire.

Some are speculating that the burning of the towers were prompted by the false information spreading that 5G is helping spread COVID-19. The series of accidents prompted one cabinet minister to declare the whole conspiracy over 5G and COVID-19 as nonsense and dangerous.

The incident also has a very real downside as frontliners rely on mobile data to communicate with one another and their loved ones.

The rise of  5G conspiracy theories

Most conspiracy theories about 5G and its role in the COVID-19 pandemic are available online on Facebook groups. These theories seem to warn about the 5G’s possible danger to the public. One crazy theory stated that Wuhan is the origin of the pandemic since it was one of the first cities to roll out 5G.

However, scientists have not established a clear connection between 5G and the pandemic. Any of these conspiracy theories also failed to account for the rise of COVID-19 cases in countries without 5G yet. Anyone who encounters news and posts about 5G and its danger to the public must be skeptical of the claims.

Serious fact-checking is important during these times when there’s not only a rise in COVID-19 cases, but also a rise in misinformation and deceiving posts.

SEE ALSO: How to disinfect your tech from the coronavirus | Coronavirus porn is trending on Pornhub | Here’s where you can donate to the COVID-19 outbreak efforts | 4 ways you can use TikTok to help during the COVID-19 crisis

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As general rules, the CDC or The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed these to help with preventing the spread of COVID-19:

• Stay home when sick
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Frequently wash hands with soap and water
• Clean frequently touched surfaces

With everyone’s workplaces shifting online, now is the best time to prioritize cybersecurity. Already, the world has turned a more watchful eye onto promising online platforms like Zoom. It’s time to root out the world’s hacking problems.

Recently, Apple averted a major security issue on Safari. A few months ago, Ryan Pickren, a security researcher spotted and submitted a flaw on the browser’s software to Apple’s bug bounty program. Now, after Apple patched the bugs already, Pickren has shared his findings to the public.

Previously, Safari liberally saved its users’ site permission preferences. For example, if you allow a certain site to access your device’s camera and microphone, the browser remembers these decisions for ease of access in the future. Further, Safari allows several variations of the allowed URL, adding to the convenience.

Through some online magic, malicious parties can spoof their identities and pretend to be one of these alternative URLs. In turn, the hack allows others to access the device’s permitted peripherals. Hackers could have accessed your webcam, your microphone, and your screen.

Notably, these flaws don’t originate from Apple’s hardware or Safari’s security. In essence, it’s just a disguise. Fortunately, Apple has already patched these flaws out of the browser. Thankfully, no one can exploit the flaw now.

Currently, Apple implements a rigorous bug bounty program to hunt down potential exploits for its products. White hat hackers can earn money by submitting important flaws. Pickren, for example, bagged US$ 75,000 for his report.

SEE ALSO: Apple Safari caught sending user data to a Chinese company