By doing so, it implies that Whatsapp is recording, tracking and analyzing every message that is sent on the platform. It detects when a message is going viral, and it blocks your freedom to share it.
It can now be done to limit the spread of fake news, but it also means that they have the power to do such things. They can limit a message to organize a protest for example. We can now know for sure (if we didn’t know before) that Whatsapp is tracking every message you send.
I think we can agree that Whatsapp (or Facebook respectively) will record, track and analyze all of the data they have - including the metadata and (encrypted) messages.
As the messages are encrypted Whatsapp doesn’t know the content. So as long as the message is minimaly modified, it should pass through, right? Or do you see any possibility that Whatsapp can censor messages with specific content?