WhatsApp, being one of the most popular messaging applications in the world, makes it easy to send messages on a daily basis. But this widespread use has a downside, which can lead to situations where you want to know if your WhatsApp message has been forwarded.
If you are concerned about privacy, want to protect your information, or simply don't want others to read your messages, this article will help you understand how to identify if someone has forwarded your WhatsApp messages and what steps you can take to prevent it.
What does it mean that they have forwarded a WhatsApp message from me?
Forwarding a message on WhatsApp involves sending a received message to another WhatsApp chat or group and it can be easily done sby choosing the message and choosing the option «Forward«. Within the content that we can forward, we can highlight texts, images, videos, links, and other types of multimedia content.
The forwarding option makes it easier for users to exchange information quickly, but it also raises user privacy concerns that we'll discuss next.
How to know if your WhatsApp message has been forwarded to another person?
WhatsApp introduced a label to identify when a message has been forwarded, with the aim of promoting transparency and combating the spread of false information or spam, since previously it was not known if a message had been forwarded.
This feature is quite useful for knowing if a message has been shared again, but it has some limitations:
There is a Forwarded label... but you can't see it
When a message is forwarded on WhatsApp, it is marked with a tag. «Forwarded» that appears at the top of the forwarded message. However, this tag only appears in the receiver's chat, not in the sender's chat. This means that you will not know when they are going to share a message from you.
What happens when a message is forwarded multiple times?
To address the problem of misinformation, an evil that unfortunately often occurs on the Internet, WhatsApp introduced a second label that appears when a message has been forwarded multiple times.
When a message has been forwarded many times (more than five), appears with a label of "Reposted many times." Although it also has the same problem as the previous tag: you will not know that it has been forwarded.
Groups and cross-checking: another way to know when your messages are forwarded
La verification in WhatsApp groups It is another of the functions that can help us know when a message is forwarded in the messaging app.
When you are part of a group where someone has forwarded a message that you originally sent in a private conversation, you can see it directly, although this depends on the group's privacy settings and how information is shared.
How to keep WhatsApp private
Share information wisely
Before sending a message, especially if it is sensitive or personal, think about whether you will be comfortable with others forwarding it, since you can't know where your message might end up in a "bad timing."
To do this, avoid sharing confidential information or private images that you do not want others to see through a channel like these.
Share information through temporary messages
Do you remember the cards that self-destruct with a bomb in the movies? WhatsApp offers more or less the same, a Temporary messages that are automatically deleted after a certain time (24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days). This feature can be useful to prevent messages from being saved or forwarded later, as they will be automatically deleted.
To activate it, go to the chat where you want to activate temporary messages, tap the contact or group name, select Temporary messages and choose the desired time period.
Of course, be careful because no one protects you from taking a screenshot and then sharing it, so that does not exempt you from sharing information with awareness of the cause.
Reviewing Group Privacy Settings
WhatsApp offers a prominent option that allows you to choose who can add you to a group and thus avoid being put in groups of unknown people.
To activate it, go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups and select My contacts or My contacts except… to limit who can add you.
What to do if they have forwarded a WhatsApp message from you?
If you think someone has leaked a private WhatsApp message, you can take certain steps to mitigate the impact and prevent it from happening again:
Talk to the original recipient of the message
Although it may seem useless, since it is likely that they will answer "I didn't do it," you can always ask directly if the recipient has forwarded the message and to whom.
Sometimes opening a conversation can resolve your concerns and clarify a situation that actually had no bad intentions and was just a misunderstanding.
Use other types of more secure messaging applications
If privacy is a big concern, Consider using messaging apps that offer more control over messagesas the Signal, which allows self-destructing messages and that we mentioned in this other post.
You can also consider Telegram given its open and customizable nature, being one of the most popular alternatives to WhatsApp
Our final reflection on WhatsApp and privacy
And at this point, I think it's time to reflect on the risks of exposing yourself on the Internet, which people tend to take lightly.
Messaging apps are great and allow us to contact each other quickly and easily. And until then everything is fine, until the moment of responsibility arrives: There are certain things that cannot be sent via messaging apps so happily. how it is being done, and this must change in the mentality of the users.
Remember: The best prevention is to be very clear about what is shared and avoid violent situations., so when you are going to share something on WhatsApp... let it be something that will not cause you headaches later if it leaks out there.