Whatsapp: New Privacy Updates

WhatsApp has announced 3 new features about privacy for its users, updates will begin to be reflected in the application, since many users have been affected on their online activity which is announced to other WhatsApp users without their consent, therefore Meta has confirmed about the new updates by giving tranquility to its users to have more privacy while using the app.

Leave Groups Silently

With this new feature it will be possible to leave a WhatsApp group without the need for all the members of the group to realize that you are no longer part of the group, the only members who would receive an alert would be the administrators who are established in said group, the other members will not receive an alert.

This will help users no longer receive the inevitable DM of people who want to know why you abandoned them, or the shame of leaving the group or drama that often occurs in some groups of people in the application. With this update you can leave the chat group without being noticed by the members.

Choose Who Can See When You Are Online

From the beginning of WhatsApp you could see who was online and who was offline, after a while it had the update that allowed hiding the online status of everyone, then the update of the application allowed the online status to be hidden from your contacts or some specific contacts and also people who have sent a message before could see it online even if they are not contacts.

Now the application allows you who can and who cannot see your state online or that no one can see your condition, depending on the configuration you have in your “Last Seen” option.

Screenshot Blocking For View Once Messages

This was one of the most recent updates that WhatsApp made, see once or disappear photos now is very popular and quite used by users, one of the reasons we can find is for privacy in case an image is sent that does not want to be shared and that the other user can see once, however, the risk that a Screenshot could be taken was present.

Now WhatsApp announces that the blockage of screenshots for “View Once” messages will be enabled very soon, in this way you can see another safety layer for users and their messages. So far there is no specific date of this new update since it is still in tests to work in the best way and protect the privacy of all users.

Why have these privacy characteristics been launched?

According to Meta Newsroom in a publication, he announced that these updates will provide users with a more protection layer and more control. However, People magazine announced that these updates can be based more than all by a global privacy report that was found by WhatsApp.

The report announces:

It is estimated that 72% of people prefer and value speaking honestly and without filtering information in their messages, 45% prefer to interact but in a safe way and privacy, and 59% are constantly concerned about privacy of their messages and that these can be shared without their consent.