Whatsapp is focusing on the privacy of its users. At least that is what its news, announced today in an official statement, reflects, as it will allow greater control over conversations and additional layers of protection when sending messages.
Ami Vora, VP of Product at Whatsapp, said: “We are focused on creating product features that allow people to have more control and privacy over their messages. Over the years we’ve added interlocking layers of protection to help keep your conversations secure, and the new features are one way we continue to deliver on our commitment to keeping messages private.”
Privacy and security in WhatsApp are a primary issue, considering that it is one of the leading free instant messaging applications on the market, since it is active in the world. In 2020 alone, 100 billion messages were sent per day.
Therefore, get to know the new security tools that the app is offering:
New security tools in WhatsApp
- Quietly leaving groups: The days of “ x has left the group” are over. Users will now be able to privately leave a group without notifying all members. However, administrators will be notified. This option is available from today.
- Choose who can see your online status: Have you been called out for not replying to a message when you were “online”? Now you can continue reading but in a more private way, since you can select who can and who cannot see when you are online. This feature will start rolling out to all users this month.
- Screenshot lock for single view messages: The single view feature allows you to share photos or files that you don’t want to have a permanent digital record. But now, they are working on enabling screenshot blocking for these types of messages to provide an additional layer of protection. This feature is currently being tested and there is no word on when it will be available to users.
Whatsapp has security tools such as end-to-end encryption, two-step verification, the ability to hide conversations, your online status, and backup your chats in the cloud.
