WhatsApp is adding two new features to enhance user security and Privacy further: Silence Unknown Callers and Privacy Control. The first feature was devised to reduce the amount of spam, and the second was to inform users about WhatsApp’s privacy settings. Both features are rolling out to both Android and iOS this week.
WhatsApp is announcing the new features through its weblog.
This is how WhatsApp protects your Privacy and security.
“Protecting the Privacy of your messages continues to be the driving force behind what we build at WhatsApp. While end-to-end encryption is the foundation for ensuring your conversations and messages are secure, we continue to add more layers of Privacy,” writes the provider and developer of the popular chat application.
The best-known form of protection is end-to-end encryption. This means that only the sender and receiver can read a message. It is a form of asymmetric encryption, which means that both have a public key to encrypt a message. However, the sender and receiver each have their own private key to read encrypted messages. We also call this Public Key Infrastructure (KPI). This security method makes it impossible to eavesdrop on people secretly.
Other ways WhatsApp protects users include adding an expiration date to messages, two-step verification, one-time viewing of messages, offering encrypted backups, and Chat Lock to protect confidential messages with a password or biometrics.
Here’s what you need to know about WhatsApp’s new privacy features
In the next round of updates, WhatsApp will add two new privacy options: Silence unknown callers and Privacy control. Silence Unknown Callers is designed to give users more control over incoming calls. This feature helps to screen spam messages automatically, calls from unknown people and scams for more protection.
Calls from unknown numbers are put on silent immediately. They will still appear in the Calls tab if it is important. This feature can be found in the settings menu under Privacy> Calls.
The second new privacy feature introduced by WhatsApp is called Privacy Control. Users who tap it are guided through a menu where WhatsApp informs them about various privacy aspects of the app. In this way, WhatsApp wants to simplify the management of individual privacy settings and, at the same time, point users to the different privacy options that the chat application offers.
Privacy Control explains how to set who can contact you, manage personal information, add more protection to your account, and increase the Privacy of your chats. To do this, go to Settings > Privacy > Privacy Control.
WhatsApp will roll out both features this week.’
Silence Unknown Callers and Privacy Check are rolling out this week for Android and iOS users. When the update is available, leave WhatsApp in the middle. The only thing the company wants to say about this is that we can expect it ‘this week’.