WhatsApp is gaining some great new privacy features including screenshot blocking
WhatsApp is not only one of the popular messaging apps out there, it is also one that is subject to some of the fastest development work. Existing features are constantly being tweaked, new options are being added all the time, and Mark Zuckerberg has just revealed three exciting new privacy-focused features.
In an announcement on his personal Facebook page, the CEO of Meta teased a trio of new features which will help to improve the privacy of group and one-on-one chats. The upcoming additions are part of a new global campaign from WhatsApp that focuses on and promotes privacy and security features.
See also:
- Twitter comes clean about serious security incident affecting millions of accounts
- DuckDuckGo to block Microsoft tracking scripts after user uproar about recent revelations
- Microsoft launches PowerToys v0.61.1 as an important stability-fixing update
The new features will mean that it will no longer be possible to take screenshots of "view once" messages. This effectively closes what was a glaring privacy flaw, and is something that will be welcomed by anyone who uses -- or wants to use -- the platform to share something with an individual and be sure that it cannot be saved and shared with anyone else.
Other changes that are in the pipeline include the option to leave a group chat without other participants being notified of your departure, and greater control over who can see your online status.
Zuckerberg's post reads:
New privacy features coming to WhatsApp: exit group chats without notifying everyone, control who can see when you're online, and prevent screenshots on view once messages. We'll keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations.
At the moment, there is no word on quite when these new features and options will be made available to everyone, but some of them have already shown up in beta versions of the app indicating that development is well underway.
Image credit: rafapress / depositphoto