Fake news took lives in India, swayed Brazil polls: What FB could have done

Even with the changes the company made worldwide this past summer, schemes like Bolsonaro's still can be extremely effective on WhatsApp

When a spate of mob lynchings driven by rumors spread on WhatsApp killed over 20 people in India over the course of June and July in 2018, the company was forced to act.

On the heels of a reprimand from India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT, WhatsApp made two major technical changes. Globally, the company limited message forwarding from 256 to 20 groups or contacts at a time worldwide. In India, it reduced this number to just five. The company also created a help page, only available in India, with contact details of a WhatsApp grievance officer.

Of course, other factors helped