WhatsApp announced new privacy updates on Tuesday, including the ability for users to check their messages without others knowing.
The platform will soon allow people to control who can see when they are online, prevent others from taking screenshots of certain messages, and leave groups without notifying entire channels.
WhatsApp has over 2 billion users worldwide and is owned by Meta, the owner of Facebook. Announcing the changes on Facebook and Instagram, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company “will continue to build new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations.”
WhatsApp has long touted its use of end-to-end encryption, which means that only the sender and recipient of a message can see its contents. And like other private messaging platforms, it already allows users to send messages that disappear after certain periods of time.
However, last year WhatsApp came under heavy scrutiny after an update to its terms of service.
At the time, many users expressed concern about a section of WhatsApp’s privacy policy that detailed what is shared with the parent company, which has a troubled reputation when it comes to protecting user data.
The update caused some people to switch to Signal, another popular encrypted messaging platform.
Facebook tried to dispel confusion over the policy, saying its data-sharing practices weren’t new and didn’t “impact how people communicate privately with friends or family.”
Now, two of the new features introduced to WhatsApp – which let you choose who can see when you are active and silently leave groups – will begin rolling out to all WhatsApp users this month.
The screenshot lock tool, which will be made available in messages meant to be viewed only once, is still being tested and will be made available at a later date, according to WhatsApp.
Source: CNN Brasil
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