WhatsApp users will be able to keep their most private conversations under wraps with a new feature being rolled out on the app this week.
The Chat Lock update allows people to "lock and hide" their message exchanges by moving them from the main WhatsApp inbox into a dedicated folder. The folder will only be accessible via password or biometric security such as a fingerprint, parent company Meta confirmed.
The move is the latest in a series of new features introduced to the app this year, following on from the likes of the popular update allowing users to leave WhatsApp group chats without notifying other members. Other proposed features set to be rolled out this year include a blocking shortcut, new media forwarding options, and an improved camera mode.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg added in a Facebook post: "New locked chats in WhatsApp make your conversations more private. They're hidden in a password protected folder and notifications won’t show sender or message content."
The tech giant demonstrated how the feature will look in a video released on social media, announcing to users that they can now "keep your most private and personal conversations under lock and key with a password". The update was praised by WhatsApp users - but it could heighten tensions between Meta and the UK Government over the Online Safety Bill.
The two are currently engaged in a stand-off over the bill after Meta protested against the legislation in April, saying it would undermine the end-to-end encryption used by WhatsApp where only the sender and intended recipient of a message are able to read it. The Government has denied the Bill would outlaw encrypted messaging, saying it aims to target child abuse content while retaining privacy online.
Tech companies who refuse to comply with the Government’s demands to identify and remove such content from their platforms could face large fines. In response to this, Meta threatened to withdraw WhatsApp from the UK last March rather than submit to the proposed policies.
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