WhatsApp is stepping up its privacy game with a new feature that might change the way you interact with profile photos. The popular messaging app is reportedly working on preventing users from taking screenshots of other people’s profile pictures, a move aimed at giving users more control over their personal information.
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In a recent update, WhatsApp is experimenting with a feature that stops users from capturing screenshots of someone else’s profile picture. Until now, you could hide your profile picture from strangers, but there wasn’t a way to stop others from taking a screenshot. This new feature intends to address that gap and enhance user privacy by preventing unauthorized downloading and sharing of personal photos.
According to a report by WABetaInfo, the latest WhatsApp beta for Android, available on the Google Play Store, introduces a notification when users try to take a screenshot of someone’s profile picture. The notification simply says, ‘Can’t take a screenshot due to app restrictions.’ This serves as a warning to users attempting to capture someone else’s photo without permission.
It’s important to note that while this feature is a step in the right direction for privacy, it doesn’t entirely eliminate the possibility of others capturing your profile picture using a secondary device like another phone or camera. So, users are still encouraged to be cautious about the photos they set as their display pictures.
The motivation behind limiting screenshot capabilities is clear – WhatsApp wants to reduce the risks of impersonation and harassment that could arise from the unauthorized use of profile pictures. Although this screenshot block feature is currently available to a select group of beta testers, it is expected to roll out to all users in the upcoming weeks.
This move aligns with WhatsApp’s previous decision in 2019 to prevent users from easily downloading profile pictures of others. Additionally, the Meta-owned messaging app is actively working on a specialized fact-checking chatbot to combat challenges posed by deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation.
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In another exciting development, WhatsApp is also working on a chat lock feature for web users. Soon, users will have the option to lock certain chats, providing an extra layer of security for their conversations. This means that specific chats can only be accessed by entering a secure pin, ensuring a private and protected space for your WhatsApp interactions.