Messaging giant WhatsApp on August 9 announced that it will be rolling out new privacy features this month, following which users can block taking screenshots for 'view once' messages and choose who can see when they are online.

"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," Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Meta.

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"Today’s three new product updates join WhatsApp's growing list of privacy features that users can take advantage of and that provide even more layers of protection, giving users more control over their messages," the company said in a statement.

New privacy features on WhatsApp

Screenshot blocking for 'view once' messages

‘View once’ is already an incredibly popular way to share photos or media that don’t need to have a permanent digital record. Now WhatsApp is enabling screenshot blocking for ‘view once’ messages for an added layer of protection. This feature is being tested and will be rolled out to users soon.

Choose who can see when you’re online

Seeing when friends or family are online helps users feel connected, but everyone needs their privacy at times, even on WhatsApp.

For the times you want to keep your online presence invisible, WhatsApp is introducing the option to select who can and can’t see when you’re online. This will start rolling out to all users this month.

Leave groups silently

Users will be able to exit a group privately without having to notify everyone. Now, instead of notifying the full group when leaving, only the admins will be notified. This feature starts to roll out to all users this month.

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WhatsApp & privacy over the years

Over the years, WhatsApp has added new layers of privacy protections to give you multiple ways to secure your messages, including disappearing messages that self-destruct, end-to-end encrypted backups when you want to save your chat history, two-step verification for added security, and the ability to block and report unwanted chats.

The company said the introduction of these new features are backed by a new WhatsApp privacy study which found that 72 percent of people value being able to speak in an honest, unfiltered way, but more than 47 percent are only comfortable doing this in a safe, private space.

"For the times when you need more privacy, 51 percent prefer to stay hidden online to choose who they want to talk to. 91 percent 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.

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Ami Vora, Head of Product at WhatsApp, said, "At WhatsApp, we’re focused on building product features that empower people to have more control and privacy over their messages.

Over the years, we’ve added interlocking layers of protection to help keep their conversations secure, and the new features is one way we continue to deliver on our commitment to keep messages private."

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She said no other global messaging service at this scale provides this level of security for their users’ messages, media, voice messages, video calls, and chat backups.

"We believe WhatsApp is the most secure place to have a private conversation. And to spread the word about these new features, we’re also kicking off a global campaign, starting with the UK and India, to educate people about how we work to protect their private conversations on WhatsApp," she added.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Aug 9, 2022 7:21 PM IST