Facebook says it will limit message forwarding on Messenger to five people or groups at a time to tackle the spread of misinformation

The social network said it would block new political ads in late October, among other measures, to reduce misinformation and interference.

New York Times 2020-09-03 Mike Isaac

Context & Ripple Effects

Facebook is importing a policy its WhatsApp unit has already battle-tested: WhatsApp capped global forwarding at five recipients back in January 2019 and later tightened the screw so messages forwarded five or more times reach only one group at a time. Extending the same cap to Messenger closes the loophole on the other half of Facebook's messaging estate.

The move lands alongside the company's announced freeze on new political ads in late October, framing it as an election-integrity package rather than a standalone product tweak — and it foreshadows the broader distribution throttling Facebook later applied when it moved to limit distribution of posts from personal accounts that routinely spread misinformation.

First-order effects

Messenger users lose the ability to push a single message to more than five people or groups at once, directly shrinking the reach of chain-style and rumor content on the app.

Second-order effects

Coordinated spreaders are pushed toward workarounds — copy-paste reposting rather than native forwarding — which is exactly the virality signal the earlier WhatsApp limits were designed to degrade.

Third-order effects

Forwarding caps harden into a default governance lever across Facebook's family of apps, with the company normalizing graduated throttles (five recipients, then one group, then reduced post distribution) as its template for controlling viral misinformation without removing content.

The trend: Facebook is converging its messaging apps on a single anti-virality playbook, making forwarding friction — not content takedowns — the primary tool against misinformation.

Discussion

@zeynep Zeynep Tufekci on x
There are the details. And there is this: Mark Zuckerberg, alone, gets to set key rules—with significant consequences—for one of the most important elections in recent history. That should not be lost in the dust of who these changes will hurt or benefit. https://www.nytimes.com/…
@markscott82 Mark Scott on x
.@Facebook published new rules on countering misinformation ahead of US election, including a ban on new political ads in the week before the vote. Reminder — Congress *could* have done something about this, and they didn't. Can't blame FB for politicians not doing their job
@alexvoica Alexandru Voica on x
Today, @Messenger is announcing message forwarding limits, a new feature designed to protect people from viral misinfo and harmful content. With forwarding limits, a sender will be able to forward a message to up to five people or groups at a time: https://messengernews.fb.com/ .…
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on x
Don't sleep on this announcement: content-neutral design choices platforms make, like this one, can make a real difference. Fb said that a similar limit on WhatsApp cut the spread of viral msgs by 70%. 70%!!!!! Not all of it would be misinfo but still (https://techcrunch.com/...)…
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
NEW: Facebook to bar new political ad buys seven days before the election — part of a slate of changes to clamp down on confusion and disinformation heading into election day https://www.nytimes.com/...
@mattyglesias Matthew Yglesias on x
I wrote and deleted so many takes on this Facebook decision, and this one is a lot better than anything I could come up with —> https://twitter.com/...
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
Yes, it's a positive move. But remember: - microtargeted political ads are problem and FB's entire biz model - Twitter banned all political ads (avoiding biz model debate) - Google banned all microtargeted political ads FB is making change for final week only. Only Facebook... ht…
@scottbix Scott Bixby on x
As everyone knows, disinformation campaigns are like basketball games, in that nothing actually matters until the final three minutes of the fourth quarter. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@maya206 Maya Mirchandani on x
#Facebook decides to limit #USElections2020 ads a week before Election Day. Given the number of Americans planning to vote early, will one week be enough? https://www.nytimes.com/...
@alexvoica @alexvoica on x
We feel this is an important step to ensure people who use @Messenger are kept safe from online harm. This feature is currently available in several countries and will eventually be available to all users globally starting September 24: https://messengernews.fb.com/ ... https://t…
@aaronhuertas Aaron Huertas on x
“Postelection, Facebook said it would quash any candidates' attempts at claiming false victories by redirecting users to accurate information on the results.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@jkelly3rd John Kelly on x
A larger number of people than ever before will already have voted by then, so ... https://www.nytimes.com/...
@aimeepearcy_ Aimee Pearcy on x
This isn't going to do anything and Facebook knows it. It's not about stopping misinformation, it's about PR. https://twitter.com/...
@joshuatalley Joshua Talley on x
Finally. My messenger notifications had me feeling like the old days of chain emails sometimes. https://thetruetruetruth.com/ https://twitter.com/...
@justinhendrix Justin Hendrix on x
Facebook announces moves to protect election: • bar new political ads in the week before election • strengthen measures against posts that dissuade people from voting. • quash claims of false victories by redirecting users to accurate info on results. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rasmus_kleis Rasmus Kleis Nielsen on x
In a rare case where the term “fake news” is actually precise - because the problem is both fake and actively pretending to be news - Facebook and Twitter say Russian operatives are targeting Americans, esp on the left, with disinformation https://www.nytimes.com/...
@petebuttigieg Pete Buttigieg on x
Russia is interfering in our election once again—using tactics we've seen before and likely new ones as well. Congress should be getting briefed more, not less. And the American people deserve more answers about what's being done to safeguard democracy. https://www.nytimes.com/..…
@evanmcmullin Evan McMullin on x
The Russian group that interfered in the 2016 election is again using fake social media accounts and a website to spread disinformation, the first public evidence that Moscow is trying to push voters away from the Democratic presidential candidate again. https://www.nytimes.com/.…
@yamiche Yamiche Alcindor on x
The Russian group that interfered in the 2016 presidential election is at it again, using a network of fake accounts and a website set up to look like a left-wing news site, Facebook said on Tuesday. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@issielapowsky Issie Lapowsky on x
As a reporter, Facebook's ad policy is interesting. But as an American, Mark's whole post is terrifying. FB's a global company that's worked through elections in countries with no peaceful transfer of power. That feels like what they're preparing for here. https://www.facebook.co…
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
It is a huge relief that Facebook is doing *something*. But it still needs to do so much more https://twitter.com/...
@anthony Anthony DeRosa on x
Credit where credit is due, I do appreciate that Zuckerberg is getting ahead of the fact that it is extremely likely there is not a winner declared on election night and possibly not for days or weeks. The public needs to be prepared for this. https://twitter.com/...
@benyt Ben Smith on x
In the absence of regulation, Facebook is trying to kind of invent a government framework. Next comes the parliament: https://www.politico.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@sifill_ldf Sherrilyn Ifill on x
Headlines on the Facebook announcement this morning focused solely on ads, when there's more to explore here.We need probing of what the “informational labels” will look like for voter fraud posts & for posts declaring victory before “final results.” https://about.fb.com/... http…
@joshelman Josh Elman on x
This is a scary post from Zuckerberg and Facebook on what they are doing to try to preserve a fair election. It shows how much fear there is that there is a loss of central trust in the information we get from others and “official” sources. https://www.facebook.com/...
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
I see one potential good thing: Claims that you'll catch Covid-19 by voting will be removed. Other than that, this is Facebook doubling down on its existing policies that have already poisoned the platform. https://www.cnbc.com/...
@stevekovach Steve Kovach on x
-You'll still see political ads -Those ads can contain lies and false information. -Candidates will still be allowed to claim victory or cast doubt on election results, even if the results aren't in yet -80 million are expected to vote before election day And more... https://twit…
@jamesclayton5 James Clayton on x
Some big announcements made by Zuckerberg today on US elections: -Freeze new FB political ads 7 days before election -Stop mass forwarding of content on FB messenger -Attach warnings on posts that de-legitimatise the result (this could get messy) https://www.facebook.com/...
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
There are lots of things you can say about this, but the core, I think, is that we really don't know what we think about it. https://www.facebook.com/...
@just_jenna Jenna Lowenstein on x
Say it with me folks: the ads are not the problem! https://twitter.com/...
@public_citizen @public_citizen on x
Facebook, which refuses to restrict dishonest political ads, is expected to make $787,000,000 on political ads this election cycle. https://twitter.com/...
@vanitaguptacr Vanita Gupta on x
.@Facebook's announcements about policing voting misinformation, including by politicians, and defending a fair election are significant improvements & come after much pressure from civil rights community. But everything - any impact - rests on enforcement. We'll remain vigilant.…
@themusicpimp Alejandro Marin on x
A perfect definition of the expression “too little, too late” Facebook will stop accepting new political ads a week before the US presidential election - The Verge https://www.theverge.com/...
@donie Donie O'Sullivan on x
Politicians will still be able to pay Facebook millions to run false ads all the way through Election Day as long as they buy the ads before the final week of the campaign, Facebook announces. https://twitter.com/...
@daniel_sweeney Dan Sweeney on x
It's a start, but Facebook's real problem is kinda like the punchline in that old horror story — the call is coming from inside the house! The problem is not chiefly the ads, the problem is hundreds of thousands of members in thousands of groups spreading poison and lies. https:/…
@digiphile Alex Howard on x
The Chairman of the @Facebook Election Commission announced new rules for the 2020 election, including a quiet period with no new political ads a week before Election Day: https://www.facebook.com/... @finkd signaled he is expecting a disputed result. https://twitter.com/...
@carlquintanilla Carl Quintanilla on x
“If any candidate or campaign tries to declare victory before the final results are in, we'll add a label to their posts directing people to the official results from Reuters and the National Election Pool.” $FB https://twitter.com/...
@b_fung Brian Fung on x
Indeed, political ads containing lies that begin running on the platform *ahead of the blackout* will continue to be allowed, @donie says: https://www.cnn.com/...
@ceciliakang Cecilia Kang on x
Reminder: Facebook allows politicians to lie in ads. That means any ads bought 1 week before the election won't be fact checked. FB says the library is the solution. Don't know if any average Fb user who checks the ad library
@mosseri Adam Mosseri on x
Our teams at Instagram and Facebook are focused on protecting this election. That's why today we announced a series of changes that encourage voting, ensure people have accurate information about voting and reduce the chance of post-election uncertainty. https://about.fb.com/...
@lolgop @lolgop on x
You can always count on Facebook to do the equivalent of nothing. https://twitter.com/...
@travisakers Travis Akers on x
Facebook will block new political advertising the week before Election Day Facebook's move is intended to respond to criticism that it has failed to stop political misinformation from surging on its platform. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@semperdiced DeMarcus on x
This is the equivalent of Romney's “yes” vote for the first article of impeachment—abuse of power—and “no” vote on the second charge—obstruction of Congress. It gives the appearence of doing the right thing—just enough to get some credit and a chance at plausible deniability. htt…
@pkafka Peter Kafka on x
Facebook says it won't take *new* political ads a week before the election - a move it has been mulling for months and months. https://about.fb.com/...
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
this stops short of some more drastic moves the company has discussed in recent months Facebook will resume letting people purchase political ads after Election Day. and existing ads from before the seven day period can still run and be adjusted for targeting and spend.
@facebook @facebook on x
This morning Mark announced our latest efforts related to the U.S. elections, which are designed to help encourage voting, ensure people have accurate info about voting, and help reduce confusion and post-election uncertainty: https://www.facebook.com/...

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