
28 Sep The New WhatsApp Update Affects Group Admins
Are you part of any WhatsApp groups? Here is what you need to know…
In a world where social media is becoming increasingly popular and included in our day to day lives, it is of great importance to keep up to date with the laws surrounding these platforms.
WhatsApp’s Recent Update
A recent WhatsApp update has made a significant change affecting group admins. Previously, only the person who has sent a message in a WhatsApp group had the ability to delete that message ‘for everyone’. Now, with the recent update, the group admin has this ability to delete that message ‘for everyone’ too.
The Consequences of this Update
This new update has brought about consequences for group admins. Should there be any group message that equates to racism, hate speech, threats, incitement, or the like, you as the admin of the group can be held legally responsible for such messages. A WhatsApp group admin who chooses to leave such a message in the group instead of deleting it, after now having the ability to delete such messages, can be held legally responsible for these messages.
Lengthened Time Frame for Deleting Messages
In all of this, WhatsApp has helped the group admins out by lengthening the time frame to delete messages. The time frame that one can delete these messages has now been extended from 1 hour to 48 hours, giving the group admin sufficient time to delete any unlawful messages in the group.
Reasons for this Update
One can only deduce that this update has been made for the benefit of WhatsApp users. This update is to cultivate respect, as well as encourage accountability, amongst fellow WhatsApp users. The goal is to limit hurtful, disrespectful, and unlawful messages from this messaging platform.
It is important now, more than ever, to keep updated on the laws surrounding social media, especially in our ever-increasing digital world.
For more information, see Social Media & Internet Law Expert, Emma Sadleir’s video regarding this topic!