WhatsApp has begun to deploy a new privacy function that seeks to limit unauthorized circulation of messagesimages and videos shared in their chats.
Under the name of ‘advanced privacy of chat’, this tool It allows users to restrict that their messages are forwarded, copied or used in artificial intelligence functionsand that multimedia files can be downloaded by receptors.
This measure responds to A growing need for personal information in digital environmentsespecially in contexts where participants of a conversation are not known or where sensitive issues are addressed.
According to goal, WhatsApp owner company, it is a first version of functionalityand new options are planned in future updates.
Under normal conditions, CAny message sent on WhatsApp can be shared by the recipient without restrictions. This includes the possibility of forwarding it to other conversations, copying its content or storing the images and videos received on the device.
With ‘Advanced Chat Privacy’, WhatsApp introduces a mechanism to avoid those actions. Once the function is activated in an individual or group chat, The contents may not be forwarded, discharged or used by artificial intelligence systems.
Protection It is limited to the chats where the user has activated this function manually; It does not apply generalized throughout the application.
To activate it, the following steps must be followed:
- Open the chat where you want to restrict the content.
- Press on the name of the contact or the group.
- Enter the option ‘Advanced Chat Privacy’.
- Activate protection against export, download or use of content.
Once activated, The functions of forwarding, copy or download are disabled for all chat participantsalthough the possibility of making screenshots is not blocked, which continues to be a limitation of protection.
This novelty adds to a set of Tools that WhatsApp has been implementing to offer greater control over the privacy of its users. One of them is the possibility of deactivating reading confirmations, which prevents the sender of a message knowing if the recipient has read it.
To do this, the user must access the ‘Configuration’ menu, select the ‘Privacy’ option and uncheck ‘Reading Confirmations’. This function only applies to individual chats; In groups, confirmations are still enabled.
Also It is possible to restrict who can see the profile photo, the time of the last connection, the state and personal information. These configurations are found in the same ‘privacy’ section and allow you to choose between showing the data to ‘all’, ‘My contacts’, ‘My contacts, except …’ or ‘nobody’.
Another option now available is the activation of the ‘temporary messages’, which Allows messages from an individual or group conversation to be automatically eliminated After 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days.
This configuration must be enabled chat by chat, and once activated, all messages sent and received during that period will be deleted when the established deadline is met.
Although the new function of ‘advanced privacy of the chat’ represents an advance in digital protection, its effectiveness depends on the way in which users implement it.
The tool does not prevent participants from making screenshots or screen recordingswhich leaves open the possibility that the content is registered by other means. Nor does it block the use of external cameras to photograph or record conversations.
This update It is being distributed progressively to all users worldwideso it is necessary to have the most recent version of the application to activate it.
