WhatsApp has unveiled a new security feature called Safety Overview, aimed at giving users more control and clarity when they’re added to unfamiliar group chats — particularly by people outside their contact list. The messaging platform owned by Meta will now display essential details about group chats, accompanied by guidance on avoiding scams and phishing attempts.
According to WhatsApp, when you’re added to a group with no mutual contacts, the app will now offer additional insights — such as the identity of the group’s creator or admin and the total number of participants already in the group.
User privacy remain at the heart of WhatsApp:
As online scams grow more advanced, WhatsApp’s newly introduced in-app safeguards could play a vital role in reducing fraudulent activity. The recent removal of millions of scam-associated accounts highlights the widespread nature of the problem.
While end-to-end encryption and user privacy remain at the heart of WhatsApp’s mission, the platform is emphasizing that additional safety tools are essential to shielding its worldwide user community from abuse and manipulation.
In line with its continued commitment to user safety, WhatsApp has identified and removed over 6.8 million accounts this year that were connected to fraudulent operations and scam networks.
“We also work to take down attempts by criminal scam centers, often fueled by forced labor and operated by organized crime primarily in South East Asia. In the first six months of this year, as part of our ongoing proactive work to protect people from scams, WhatsApp and Meta’s security teams detected and banned over 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centers. Based on our investigative insights into the latest enforcement efforts, we proactively detected and took down accounts before scam centers were able to operationalize them,” the company said in a statement.
WhatsApp is experimenting with a new feature for one-on-one conversations:
The Meta-owned instant messaging service is experimenting with a new feature for one-on-one conversations that alerts users when they initiate a chat with someone outside their contact list. This tool will present extra information about the unknown user, enabling people to decide more confidently whether to engage in the conversation.