WhatsApp is adding new privacy protections for users that are designed to prevent others taking content from chats outside of the app.
The new Advanced Chat Privacy feature is an additional, opt-in layer of protection to sit on top of existing tools like disappearing messages and chat lock.
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The new feature for chats and groups will, for example, prevent people you’re chatting with from exporting the chat, from sharing it with AI apps, or photos you’ve posted from being downloaded to their handsets.
“WhatsApp groups are increasingly an extension of our real world networks, some of which are far closer than others,” WhatsApp said in an blog post today.
“We think this feature is best used when talking with groups where you may not know everyone closely but are nevertheless sensitive in nature, like talking about health challenges in a support group or organising your community about something important to you.”
The tool can be enabled by tapping the chat name and locating the Advanced Chat Privacy setting. The Meta-owned company says this is only the first version of the feature, with greater protections incoming.
Everyone using the latest versions of WhatsApp will soon be able to use the feature, not just the best smartphones.
Opinion
You can never guarantee chats remain completely private. Messages can be screenshotted, copied and pasted, and shown to people in person.
However, WhatsApp has done a good job of putting protections in place to mitigate for unwanted sharing and leaking of anything posted within chats. Disappearing messages is great for sharing those one-off messages, or images you only want to briefly show. Chat Lock prevents prying eyes gawping at your phone when it’s not with you.
This new layer offers peace of mind for for users concerned people may resort to other means to share their content beyond the confines of its intended destination.
