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WhatsApp Launches New Feature to Label Forwarded Messages

The WhatsApp app logo is seen on a smartphone in this picture illustration. (Reuters)
The WhatsApp app logo is seen on a smartphone in this picture illustration. (Reuters)
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WhatsApp Launches New Feature to Label Forwarded Messages

The WhatsApp app logo is seen on a smartphone in this picture illustration. (Reuters)
The WhatsApp app logo is seen on a smartphone in this picture illustration. (Reuters)

In an attempt to boost the transparency of the conversation, a new feature added by WhatsApp allows users to know if the message they received was sent by the sender himself or if other users just forwarded it.

The Facebook-owned social networking company said the app would show a clear sign next to the message that a user sent it back to other users after receiving it, according to the German news agency.

By distinguishing messages that have been forwarded, WhatsApp aims to make it easier for users to see whether the message was sent by the sender or someone else passed it.

To use this feature, the user needs to download and install the latest version of WhatsApp, either from the Play Store for Google’s Android devices or from the App Store for Apple’s iOS devices.

WhatsApp’s new update came amid intense criticism for facilitating the rapid spread of false reports on kidnaps in India.

The use of the forward feature has led to many extrajudicial killings in India.

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Croatia's Scientists Seek to Ward Off Threat to Posidonia Seagrass

Salema porgy swim near seagrass in the protected area of France's Porquerolles National Park ahead of the UN Ocean Conference on Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Salema porgy swim near seagrass in the protected area of France's Porquerolles National Park ahead of the UN Ocean Conference on Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
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Croatia's Scientists Seek to Ward Off Threat to Posidonia Seagrass

Salema porgy swim near seagrass in the protected area of France's Porquerolles National Park ahead of the UN Ocean Conference on Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Salema porgy swim near seagrass in the protected area of France's Porquerolles National Park ahead of the UN Ocean Conference on Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

At Croatia’s Dugi Otok island in the Adriatic Sea, scientists, demanding action to protect environmentally important meadows of seagrass, have been on a diving mission to assess the damage inflicted by human activity.

Named after Poseidon, the ancient Greek god of the sea, Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Mediterranean tapeweed, provides food and shelter for fish, protects coasts from erosion, purifies sea water and can play a vital role in helping to tackle global warming.

A meadow of Posidonia can annually soak up to 15 times more carbon dioxide than a similar sized piece of the Amazon rainforest, scientific research has found.

But the scientists say much more needs to be done to protect it from tourist anchoring and from trawlers dragging fishing nets in the waters of the Adriatic Sea off Dugi Otok and the surrounding Kornati archipelago national park.

They have urged tougher regulations and fines for anyone breaching them.

Dominik Mihaljevic, a biologist at the national park, said the park had begun to install anchorages that would not harm the seagrass.

"Our ultimate goal is to completely prohibit anchoring at the 19 anchorage locations that are currently in use," Reuters quoted him as saying.

Matea Spika, a senior associate at Croatia’s Sunce environmental protection association, told Reuters Mediterranean Posidonia, endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, had declined by 30% in the last 30-to-40 years.

Apart from the issue of anchors and fishing nets, she said chemicals, excess nutrients from farms and cities, warmer waters due to climate change, and invasive species had caused further damage.

New ports and artificial beaches have also blocked sunlight essential for Posidonia’s growth.