WhatsApp will become more secure

Meta is updating WhatsApp, adding an extra layer of protection that should help journalists and other public figures who may be targeted by targeted cyberattacks.

The new enhanced security feature is called “Strict Account Settings.” It enables additional privacy and security settings on top of end-to-end encryption and includes the following features:

Account Security

Two-step verification is enabled. Security notifications are enabled and blocked from being turned off. Users who use backup are encouraged to enable end-to-end encrypted backups.

Attachments and media from unknown senders are blocked. Link previews are disabled. Calls from unknown numbers are hidden. The user’s IP address is also hidden during calls.

Profile and online status

The “Was online” and “Online” statuses, profile photo, and status become inaccessible to outsiders and are visible only to contacts or a predefined list of people.

Only known contacts or a predefined list of people with certain criteria can add a user to groups.

The new security features in WhatsApp are now available for activation in the iOS, Android, and macOS applications. Each setting can be enabled separately — they are all located in the “Privacy” section of the application settings.