WhatsApp will take more measures to limit viral content on the country’s most popular messaging app and is committed to keeping users safe, its new India head Abhijit Bose said on Wednesday. Mr. Bose, who is the first top-level executive to be hired for the country, said he believed private messaging is fundamental to safety and he would work with all stakeholders in India for the common safety goal.
WhatsApp has been under intense pressure from the government to devise ways to identify message originators to trace the origin of fake messages circulated on its platform, especially ahead of general elections slated to begin next month. Last year, fake news circulated on WhatsApp incited mob fury, leading to the lynching of over a dozen people across India.
Mr. Bose’s appointment had been announced in November last year and he was to take over the role in early 2019. Mr. Bose joins WhatsApp from e-payments company Ezetap where he served as co-founder and CEO.
“One of the questions we often get asked is what role technology can play to ensure the safety of all of us who live in India,” he wrote in an e-mail message to media houses. “We strongly believe that private messaging is fundamental to safety and we are pleased that the recent changes we have made to limit viral content and educate users is having an impact. This work is never done — there is more that we can and will do.”
