To give you more control over your personal data, WhatsApp now prevents other users from taking a screenshot of your profile photo. A way to avoid misuse.
The famous WhatsApp messaging service is known for the security it offers to its users, notably through numerous options to guarantee the confidentiality of exchanges, such as ephemeral messages, sending ephemeral voicemails and, recently, Chat Lock mode. , which allows you to hide certain conversations and lock access to them. In addition to being end-to-end encrypted, WhatsApp has many settings to protect your privacy, such as two-factor authentication, security notifications, and remote device disconnection. But what does instant messaging have in store for the future? Spotted in a beta in February 2024, a new function allowing you to block screenshots of profile photos has just been announced. A way to fight against unauthorized misappropriation of personal images!
WhatsApp screenshot: for a truly private profile
WhatsApp already prevented profile photos from being downloaded. But this did not bother people with bad intentions to take screenshots and divert the images thus recovered. Faced with this type of abusive exploitation, Meta must take ever more security measures. Also, with this new function, when hackers try to take a screenshot, they will see the following error message: “This application does not allow screenshots”. Simple but effective ! Obviously, smart people will always be able to take a photo of the screen with another device, but preventing capture directly from the application should discourage more than one person.
This new function is a continuation of the platform’s efforts to limit access to profile photos, with Meta already making it possible to restrict this viewing to contacts only or to hide it completely. The company is even working on creating an alternative profile, with a photo and a name visible only to people who are not part of your contacts (see our article).
By allowing us to block screenshots of our profile photos, WhatsApp gives us more control over our privacy and ensures that our images will not be shared or stored without permission. Because, unfortunately, in some cases people can use other users’ profile photos for malicious purposes, such as identity theft or harassment. Also, we should be able to take advantage of this new function in the coming weeks.