Group admins are getting new tools to review content
WhatsApp has grown leaps and bounds since its inception over a decade ago. While there were a few stumbles along the way, specifically with regard to privacy, the fact remains that WhatsApp is one of the most frequently used encrypted messaging apps out there. Groups are an integral part of the WhatsApp experience, allowing participants to share texts and media with each other. Admins play the role of keeping things in order in addition to moderating content, and the task is infinitely harder when the size of the group exceeds 100 or more participants. An upcoming WhatsApp feature is looking to remedy this by allowing group members to flag a message or media, which would then be passed on to the admin for review.
First spotted on WhatsApp beta for Android v2.23.10.8 by the ever-reliable WABetaInfo, it will be known as admin review and will reside within the group’s info page. Admins will need to manually turn it on, as illustrated by the screenshot below. When enabled, participants would be able to select the content they feel violates the group’s policies, with the admin finding these reports on the admin review page and deciding on the next course of action. It’s worth noting that these reports are private and only visible to the admin and the person who sent them. Expectedly, group admins have full control over what to do with the reports, such as deleting the texts or removing the user(s) from the group altogether.
The new admin review section isn’t widely visible yet, even for those on the WhatsApp for Android beta version mentioned above. WABetaInfo claims it’s under development right now, although the site managed to offer us a preview of its functionality. Considering the importance of a robust content moderation system on any messaging app that brings together hundreds of users with differing viewpoints, we think this will eventually find its way into the stable version of WhatsApp. But this could take some time given that it is yet to make its way to the beta channels.
The Meta subsidiary has recently rolled out a couple of beta features to the stable channel, including single-vote polls while offering more power to admins over who gets to join a particular group.
