In the last few months, Meta-owned WhatsApp has been taking steps to improve its overall experience. Be it working on a chat lock for the web version of WhatsApp or to let users connect with others without sharing their phone numbers, the messaging platform is taking steps to ensure enhanced privacy for users. And now, a report by WABetaInfo says that WhatsApp will soon ban users from taking screenshots of profile photos of other users.
Until now, WhatsApp had the option of hiding profile pictures from strangers, but there was no option to stop other users from taking a screenshot of your profile photo. But if reports are to go by, this will be changed soon.
WhatsApp working on new privacy feature
As per the WABetaInfo report, WhatsApp is currently experimenting with a novel feature designed to stop users from capturing screenshots of others’ profile pictures, commonly referred to as display pictures. This latest addition to the instant messaging platform aims to enhance user privacy by curbing the unauthorized downloading and sharing of personal photos.
The report further says that the recent WhatsApp beta for Android, accessible on the Google Play Store, introduces a notification when users attempt to screenshot someone else’s profile picture. The notification reads ‘Can’t take a screenshot due to app restrictions,’ as in an image shared by the publication.
However, it’s important to note that users may still capture a photo of another person’s profile picture using a secondary device, such as a phone or camera. Hence, users must still be cautious about their display photos, even after the update rolls out.
With that being said, the intention behind limiting screenshot capabilities for profile pictures is clear – WhatsApp aims to mitigate the risks of impersonation and harassment. Although the screenshot block feature is currently available to a select group of beta testers, it is expected that this feature will be rolled out to all users in the upcoming weeks.
This move aligns with WhatsApp’s earlier decision in 2019 to prevent users from downloading profile pictures of others. Additionally, the Meta-owned messaging app is actively developing a specialised fact-checking chatbot to address the challenges posed by deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation.
Chat lock feature by WhatsApp
Earlier, WABetaInfo had reported that WhatsApp was working on a new feature for web users that will enable them to lock certain chats. Until now, WhatsApp web users had no option to lock certain chats and all the chats of the messaging platform would be open whenever a user logged in from a desktop or laptop.
However, users will soon be able to lock away certain chats that can only be accessed by a specific pin. This means that users will have a secure place for storing all their WhatsApp conversations. Source: India Today