Today WhatsApp, a Facebook company, updated their so-called Privacy Settings. This is the latest in a line of updates with the word "privacy" in the title released by Facebook and Facebook companies that, collectively, likely aim at doing some good for the overall image of the social networking giant. The latest update is for WhatsApp Groups and it has to do with your Contacts.
WhatsApp has announced a new layer of security for Android users: the ability to lock the app with a fingerprint. The new feature joins the previously released support for Face ID and Touch ID on the iPhone. Similar locking features are found on a number of competing apps, including popular encrypted messaging app Signal.
After the almost unending litany of scandals that have rocked Facebook, many drawing intense criticism from the US government, the social networking giant is ready to turn a new leaf. Ironically, it is also receiving criticism from the US, specifically the Justice Department. In its efforts to begger protect the privacy of users that it has violated, Facebook is reportedly planning to introduce strong encryption in WhatsApp, Instagram, and its other messaging services. For Facebook, it is to protect users but the government insists it will be putting them in danger in the long run.
When it comes to security and privacy, one of WhatsApp's main draws is its use of end-to-end encryption. It may not be long before WhatsApp is offering another feature to pull in the privacy-first crowd: self-destructing messages. As it turns out, the company is currently testing "disappearing messages" functionality that essentially allows users to put a timer on their messages with others.
Over the past 3 years, my relationship with Facebook changed in several drastic ways. In the year 2015, I discovered the "Unfollow" button, and my journey away from Facebook reliance began. I was a Facebook addict for longer than I care to think about. I lived in fear of getting away from the social network, my former primary source of stress in life. I thought I'd never be able to stop - how could I?
Evidence suggests WhatsApp is nearing an age in which advertisements and services with businesses will become a reality. Most WhatsApp users take advantage of the services offered by WhatsApp without paying any sort of dues whatsoever to its parent company Facebook. Income history and the impending launch of several WhatsApp brand-oriented services suggest that Facebook will change the way in which the chat app does business. Today we discuss why we're approaching some of the biggest changes in WhatsApp's decade of history.
WhatsApp Temporarily Banned accounts popped up en masse this past week as the chat app continues its campaign to appear to fight unauthorized use. We've seen accounts of several accounts banned for what would - at first - appear to be shaky-ground reasoning. No problem, right? Not like your business depends on the use of a single app to survive... right?
![You should stop using WhatsApp right now [UPDATE]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/whatsapp23-1280x720.jpg)
Thank goodness I stopped using WhatsApp when I did - things are about to get MESSY. As of this Facebook currently has a content moderation plan*... another NEW content moderation plan I should say... Which will use AI to flag messages before they're encrypted, sending said messages then to Facebook HQ where they can be read by humans. Messages will then be used by Facebook to make their moderator machines smarter and better at detecting term-violating words and phrases from their always-editable lists.
Most users of apps like WhatsApp and Telegram expect their communications to be encrypted and therefore protected, but that doesn't mean all communications shared through those apps are safe from intrusion. Symantec today published a report in which it details vulnerabilities present in both apps on Android that could potentially allow malicious actors to hijack shared media files and replace them before recipients realize what's going on.
What's the deal with Facebook right now - and what's happening with WhatsApp and Instagram? Several major social networks were effectively put out of commission this morning by a yet-unnamed software issue. While Snapchat and Twitter rest on different, separate servers from the rest, while the rest are owned by Facebook. Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are all under the one umbrella, also called Facebook.
One of the advantages of being a part of a larger company is the ease of sharing with other parts of the company. At the same time, that could be problematic if your parent company happens to be named “Facebook”. WhatsApp has been particularly careful to distance itself from its owner but its upcoming Status-sharing feature could raise concerns once again. Fortunately, at least according to the company, it isn’t doing anything new on iOS or Android to implement it.
Instagram announced the death of another feature this week, not long after rumors surfaced of the axing of public likes. This is just the latest in a line of changes for Instagram, an app and company that's coming closer and closer to its parent company, Facebook. I quit using Facebook a few months ago for all but the rarest family communication - is it time I gave Instagram the boot as well? NOTE: If it weren't clear already, the opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily shared by SlashGear or associated entities.