WhatsApp has announced a major new update designed to prevent other users from exporting chats or downloading images and media without permission.
The Advanced Chat Privacy setting, which is available for both individual chats and groups, will block people from exporting the chat or auto-downloading shared media.
The Meta-owned platform, which is the world’s most popular messaging app, said the new feature aims to give its roughly 3 billion users “greater confidence that no one can take what people said outside the chat”.
The latest privacy tool will roll out to all users over the coming months, with “even more protections” planned for future updates.
It builds on existing privacy features, like end-to-end encryption, however it comes just weeks after WhatsApp introduced a new AI tool that drew criticism from privacy advocates.
WhatsApp says Meta AI, which appears as a multi-coloured circle on the app’s display, is designed to “answer your questions, teach you something, or help come up with new ideas”.
The company claims it is “entirely optional”, however there is no way to remove it from the app. This has led to concerns that it could be used as a source to collect data from people in order to train Meta’s artificial intelligence models.
Meta said the chatbot can “only read messages people share with it”, and not those in personal chats, though its adoption is being monitored by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
“Organisations who want to use people’s personal details to train or use generative AI models need to comply with all their data protection obligations, and take the necessary extra steps when it comes to processing the data of children,” the ICO said.
The new Advanced Chat Privacy feature is available on the latest version of WhatsApp and can be turned on by tapping the chat name, then tapping on Advanced Chat Privacy.
“WhatsApp groups are increasingly an extension of our real world networks, some of which are far closer than others,” WhatsApp wrote in a blog post announcing the new update.
“We think this feature is best used when talking with groups where you may not know everyone closely but are nevertheless sensitive in nature, like talking about health challenges in a support group or organizing your community about something important to you.”
