WhatsApp has introduced a new feature, called Strict Account Settings, to beef up security for accounts most vulnerable to sophisticated cyberattacks.
When enabled, the feature adds the highest possible restrictions for a WhatsApp account. It automatically blocks images and other attachments from unknown senders, silences calls from unknown contacts, turns off link previews, and restricts your last seen status and other profile details to just known contacts or a list of contacts you prefer. The feature also ensures that only your known contacts or a selective list of contacts can add you to group chats.
Strict Account Settings will become available to users in the coming weeks. You can enable it from Settings > Privacy > Advanced.
WhatsApp says it is an optional feature designed primarily for a specific set of at-risk users, such as journalists and public figures. “You should only turn this on if you think you may be a target of a sophisticated cyber campaign. Most people are not targeted by such attacks,” the company says in a support page.
Apple rolled out similar settings for its devices with Lockdown Mode in 2022. Android’s version of the same, called Advanced Protection, first launched last year.
WhatsApp’s new security feature arrives just days after a lawsuit alleged that the app’s conversations are not really end-to-end encrypted. The lawsuit claims that employees can place a request to access messages for work, and the engineering team will happily oblige.
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Meta has refuted these claims. In a statement to PCMag, it said that the claims are “categorically false and absurd” and dubbed the lawsuit “a frivolous work of fiction.”
Elsewhere, Meta confirmed that it is planning to test subscriptions for some premium Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp features later this year.
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Jibin is a tech news writer based out of Ahmedabad, India. Previously, he served as the editor of iGeeksBlog and is a self-proclaimed tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex information for a broader audience.
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