Third-party apps for finding WhatsApp groups offer to invite links to join users trading child pornography material, according to a report from two Israeli NGOs -- Screen Savers and Netivei Reshe.

Many of these groups are currently active, TechCrunch found in its investigation. Some of these groups do not even hide what they are into, according to anti-exploitation start-up AntiToxin.

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Facebook was found wanting in its efforts to prevent the spread of such material on WhatsApp, according to the TechCrunch investigation.

Even without technical solutions that would require a weakening of encryption, WhatsApp's moderators should have been able to find these groups and put a stop to them, the report said.

Child pornography, however, is not the only problem, that the messaging platform is currently battling. In countries like India, WhatsApp has also been linked to rumours leading to the lynching of dozens of people.

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