O WhatsApp announced two new functionalities to reinforce the protection of the privacy of its users. The news comes as a reinforcement of point-to-point encryption, which continues to be the basis for the security of calls and messages made on the social network.
One of them is the possibility of activating the automatic silencing system for incoming calls from unknown contacts in the application. The other is the Privacy Check, a set of settings you can change, such as who can contact you.
Meta explains that the possibility of silencing unknown numbers was created to give users greater control over incoming calls. This way, the goal is to help automatically delete spam, as well as scams and calls from people you don't know. In practice, these calls will not ring on the smartphone, but can be consulted later on the call line, as there may be situations in which the contacts are legitimate and important.
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Regarding the Privacy Check, different protection options are available on the social network. The feature guides users step by step through the most important privacy settings. In the same place you can choose the right level of protection, browsing through different layers of privacy regarding messages, calls and personal information.
You can start by defining who sees your personal data, such as when you are or were you last online, your profile picture, your biography, your status, and even the possibility of disabling message read receipts. You can also define who can contact you, add more privacy to conversations and protections for your own account.
Other privacy protection features previously included in WhatsApp include locking recent conversations, which are more sensitive, with passwords; temporary messages that disappear when they expire; blocking screenshots for single viewing; and the ability to keep your online presence private. You can also leave groups silently, the possibility to block and report users.
