WhatsApp has launched a brand new feature called ‘Advanced Chat Privacy’, aimed at enhancing user control over message sharing and media handling within the app. This feature is available for both individual and group chats and is designed to prevent participants from exporting chat histories or automatically saving shared media to their devices.
Speaking of the benefits, when Advanced Chat Privacy is activated, any attempt to export a chat will be blocked, and users will receive a notification indicating that the feature is enabled. Similarly, in group chats, enabling this feature will notify all participants (promoting transparency).
It is important to note that activating Advanced Chat Privacy disables the Meta AI assistant within the chat.
“We think this feature is best used when talking with groups where you may not know everyone closely but are nevertheless sensitive in nature, like talking about health challenges in a support group or organizing your community about something important to you,” the company said in its statement.
However, while this new feature restricts exporting entire chats and automatic media saving, it does not prevent users from manually forwarding individual messages or taking screenshots. Therefore, for further privacy, users can use WhatsApp’s existing disappearing messages feature, which allows messages to auto-delete after a set period.
Meanwhile, in terms of availability, this latest feature is currently rolling out to users with the latest version of WhatsApp on both Android and iOS platforms.
Interestingly, such developments come amid ongoing scrutiny and legal challenges related to WhatsApp’s data privacy practices. In fact, last year (2024), the Indian antitrust watchdog – the Competition Commission of India (CCI) – imposed a fine of around ₹213 crore on Meta for anti-competitive practices concerning the 2021 WhatsApp privacy policy update. The CCI concluded that the policy’s ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ approach forced users into agreement, compelling them to share data with Meta companies without an opt-out option. But earlier this year, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) granted a partial stay on the CCI’s order, allowing WhatsApp to share data with Meta for advertising purposes only.
Even in South Korea, WhatsApp’s parent firm was fined $15 million for illegally collecting sensitive information from Facebook users without explicit consent. The scenario becomes more noteworthy as the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated a historic antitrust trial against Meta, aiming to compel the divestiture of WhatsApp and Instagram.
Despite facing all these challenges, WhatsApp continues to enhance its platform with new features that contribute to its widespread popularity. For example, in the latest Android beta version 2.25.12.25, the company is testing a new message translation feature, which allows users to translate messages directly within the app.
