WeChat launches a new feature to fight fake news

China's popular instant messaging app WeChat has launched a new feature that warns users if a news item circulating on its accounts is false. The feature will notify users if a piece of news that they have received is deemed fake by Chinese censors, police or official media outlets, reports Efe news.It is one of WeChat's "mini programmes" launched this year that function only within its platform, which Chinese netizens use for messaging, mobile payments, ordering food, and even renting bicycles. The programme will also function as a social game, ranking users based on how many rumour-debunking articles they have read. Users will also be notified if a news item they send to their friends is later found to be false.Recently, 1,500 developers were asked by WeChat to handle increasing user engagement through new 'mini-programs' on WeChat. The apps look like the normal apps on Google's Android and Apple's iOS but they consume less data as compared to them.With more than 938 million users, WeChat, known as Weixin in China, already serves as a one-stop-shop for everything from reading news and booking taxis to ordering takeaways and making payments. Half the users spend more than 90 minutes a day on its chat app, according to WeChat.With Inputs From IANS