How to prevent the spread of misinformation
Learn about the forwarded message labels
Messages with the "Forwarded" label help you determine if your friend or family wrote the message or if it originally came from someone else. When a message is forwarded through a chain of five or more chats, meaning it’s at least five forwards away from its original sender, a double arrow icon 
and the “Forwarded many times” label will be displayed. If you're not sure who wrote the original message, double check the facts. To learn more about forwarding limits, refer to this this article.
Check your biases
Watch out for information that confirms your pre-existing beliefs; review the facts yourself before sharing information. Stories that seem hard to believe are often untrue.
Fact check information with other sources
Fake news often goes viral, and photos, audio recordings, and videos can be edited to mislead you. Even if a message is shared many times, this doesn’t make it true. If you receive information that's fake, inform the sender that they sent you incorrect information and recommend they verify messages before sharing them.
If you're unsure whether a message is true, we recommend checking trusted news sites to see where the story came from. When a story is reported in multiple places and from trustworthy sources, it's more likely to be true. You can consult fact-checkers, or people you trust, for more information. For a list of fact-checkers affiliated with the International Fact-Checking Network, see this article.
If a contact is constantly sending fake news, report them. To learn how to report a message, contact, or group, read this article.
Look out for messages that look different
Many unwanted messages and links that you might receive have spelling or grammar mistakes, or ask you to share personal information. To learn how to identify and handle these types of messages, read this article.
Note: If you feel that you or someone else is in emotional or physical danger, please contact your local law enforcement authorities. Local law enforcement authorities are equipped to help in these cases.
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