BENGALURU:
Meta-owned instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, has rolled out two new privacy features – Silence Unknown Callers and Privacy Checkup – aimed at enhancing privacy.
The Silence Unknown Callers feature automatically screens out calls from unknown numbers, spam, and potential scams. Instead of ringing on the user’s phone, these calls will be silently redirected to the Call list, allowing users to review them later. This feature ensures that important calls from unfamiliar numbers are not missed while providing a safeguard against unwanted interruptions.
On the other hand, the Privacy Checkup feature acts as a step-by-step guide, assisting users in configuring their privacy settings to their desired level of protection. By selecting “Start checkup” in the Privacy settings, users can navigate through multiple layers of privacy options that strengthen the security of their messages, calls, and personal information. This feature aims to consolidate all crucial privacy settings into a single location for convenience and ease of use.
“Protecting the privacy of your messages remains the driving force behind what we’re building at WhatsApp. While End-to-end encryption is the foundation to ensure your calls and messages are secure, we continue to add more layers of privacy on top including the recently launched Chat Lock to protect sensitive chats behind a password, Disappearing Messages that vanish, screenshot blocking for View Once, and the ability to keep your online presence private,” WhatsApp wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. PTI
