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Anti-fake news initiative: WhatsApp new beta checks images shared on app

Agencies
March 16, 2019

San Francisco, Mar 16: To tackle the spread of fake news via its platform, WhatsApp’s new beta version shows a test feature that would run Google-powered web-checks on images being shared on the app to verify their legitimacy.

Called “Search by Image”, the feature would search an image on the web that a user either sent or received in their chats using official Google application programming interfaces (APIs) to find similar or equal images on the web.

“If you choose to search an image, WhatsApp will alert you that it will be uploaded to Google after which WhatsApp will open the browser to show the results,” WABetaInfo reported on Friday. The feature would help users understand if a news is real or fake.

“When you receive an image, you can try to search it on the web and read information related to that image on the web,” the report said.

Apart from this, WhatsApp version 2.19.73 beta update also adds emojis natively on the app keyboard. The release and roll out specifications of the features remain unclear as of now.

WhatsApp is also testing an in-app browser on the platform to allow users to open links within the platform itself.

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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