Hoax Claiming Government Snooping On WhatsApp Messages Revived

An old hoax has been revived on social media falsely claiming that all communication on WhatsApp including WhatsApp calls (voice and video calls) and messages are being monitored by the government.

Some variations of the WhatsApp forward go on to falsely claim that WhatsApp has added a new feature - 'three ticks' which shown on a message would mean the government has read a user's message.

The post when translated from Hindi reads, ".. 01. All calls will be recorded. 02. All call recordings will be saved. 03. WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and all social media will be monitored. 04. Tell those who do not know. 05. Your devices will be connected to the ministry system. 06. Be careful not to send wrong message to anyone. 07. Tell your children, brothers, relatives, friends, acquaintances that you must take care of them and rarely run social sites..."

The viral message goes on to claim that if there are three blue ticks, it means that the Government has read your messages and found it to be okay. But if you get two blue ticks and a red tick it means that the Government has read the message and the Police will arrest you soon.

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BOOM also received the same forward on our WhatsApp Tipline number (7700906588) inquiring about it.

Also Read: No, NIA Did Not Issue Helpline Number To Report 'Muslim Terrorists'

FACT-CHECK

BOOM had previously debunked the same message in July 2018 when it was being shared with the false claim on social media.

We found that the viral message is false as it has been doing the rounds with different variations on social media as far back as 2015.

Also Read: Govt Snooping On WhatsApp? Rumours From 2015 Go Viral Once Again

A WhatsApp spokesperson denied the claims in the viral forward and stated that the viral message is fabricated. "The attached 'highly forwarded message' is fabricated and users should be conscious before sharing it further," the WhatsApp spokesperson said.

About WhatsApp Read Receipts

WhatsApp's website gives a detailed description as to how many ticks the app shows and what each one indicates. Additionally, it does not mention any feature introduced by the messaging platform on a 'three tick sign'.

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