The most widely used messaging app, WhatsApp on Tuesday announced a new feature focused on the privacy of users. This new feature gives users more control over their conversations and provides layered protection while messaging.
With this new introduction, WhatsApp users will be able to choose who can see if they are online, leave chats without notifying other members and prevent screenshots of ‘view once’ messages. Mark Zuckerberg, Chairman and CEO of Meta Platforms, which also owns FB, said that the WhatsApp feature ” provides users more privacy, more protection”.
“We’ll keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.
“Seeing when friends or family online help users feel connected to one another, but everyone has had times when they wanted to check their WhatsApp privately. For the times you want to keep your online presence private, WhatsApp is introducing the ability to select who can and can’t see when you’re online,” the company said in a statement.
The company in its statement added that the introduction of these new features is backed by a new WhatsApp privacy study which found that 72% of people value being able to speak in an honest, unfiltered way, but more than 47% are only comfortable doing this in a safe, private space.
“For the times when you need more privacy, 51% prefer to stay hidden online to choose who they want to talk to. 91% of people who are aware of blocking features believe they are important. That is why WhatsApp is introducing new layers of protection that enable users to speak freely and have private conversations,” it said.
Users can use the feature very soon as it will rout this month.