The Whatsapp messaging service wants to improve the privacy of its users. Photo: Reuters/Dado Rovich
Whatsapp has been improving its badly battered reputation regarding privacy for a while. Whatsapp belongs to Meta, the former Facebook group. At least since the scandal surrounding questionable data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica in 2018, the company has been accused of handling the personal data of its users in an extremely lenient manner. At the time, Facebook was unable to protect at least 87 million users from access by Cambridge Analytica.
Whatsapp, which is used by about two billion people worldwide and 60 million of them in Germany alone, according to Statista, has been repeatedly criticized when it comes to privacy. In 2020, the Federal Data Protection Commissioner warned against the app. In Germany, companies are still not allowed to use the app for commercial communication for data protection reasons.
In order to better protect the privacy of its users, Whatsapp is currently working hard on the update screw. After the messaging service already announced the innovation on Monday that enables messages to be deleted two days after they were sent, Whatsapp announced three more new functions on Twitter on Tuesday.
Your privacy deserves more protection.
That’s why we’re excited to announce three layers of security to encapsulate your messages.
Find out what they do 👇 pic.twitter.com/AmV0YoZcC8
– Whatsapp Whatsapp) August 9, 2022
Whatsapp new features for more privacy
Later this month, a new update will supposedly allow users to leave group chats without showing them to everyone in the group. Only the admin of the group will receive a notification of this.
Whatsapp also offers ‘Lock Screen’., which can be used to block screenshots of sent photos or videos. This innovation should come soon, says the messaging service, without being specific. However, this only applies to photos and videos sent using the one-time viewing setting.
The third new feature is one that I’m sure many users have been waiting for a long time: you’ll soon be able to set that Not all selected or only selected contacts can see that you are currently online. This has not been possible yet. Moreover, everyone should soon They can decide for themselves who can see the last time they were online on Whatsapp. So far, no one or – by changing the settings – can do this. However, sharing contact status only with selected contacts is not yet possible.
Again, it is not yet clear when the update will be added. On Twitter, Whatsapp is delaying its users with “soon”.
(Nick)