WhatsApp is rolling out a new stricter security setting to protect users from cyber attacts

Days aft Meta was sued by over alleged mendacious privateness claims by its chat app WhatsApp, the institution has rolled retired a caller mounting to support users against cyber attacks.

The feature, called Strict Account Settings, adds restrictions similar automatically blocking media and attachments from chartless senders, and silencing calls from chartless numbers. Under this setting, nexus previews are turned off, and the mounting to artifact a precocious fig of chartless messages is besides switched on.

When idiosyncratic turns this enactment on, by default, two-step verification is turned connected on with information notifications that alert idiosyncratic erstwhile the codification of idiosyncratic they are chatting with changes. The company

WhatsApp besides restricts your last seen and online, illustration photo, astir details, and links connected your profile are locked to lone your contacts. If you person the caller restrictive extortion furniture enabled, lone your contacts (or pre-selected radical from your contacts) tin adhd you to groups.

Image Credits: Meta

The institution said this “lockdown-styled” diagnostic volition beryllium rolling retired successful the coming weeks and is utile for journalists and nationalist figures.

“Strict relationship settings are an optional, lockdown-style information diagnostic that, erstwhile enabled, reduces your vulnerability to cyber onslaught by limiting functionality. Your relationship is locked to much backstage settings, and your chats with others extracurricular your contacts volition person limitations,” the company’s statement reads.

Users tin crook connected this mounting by going to Settings > Privacy > Advanced and past turning connected Strict relationship settings. Meta said that users tin lone alteration this mounting from their superior instrumentality and not from a companion level similar WhatsApp for Web oregon Windows.

The timing of the rollout comes arsenic the WhatsApp lawsuit accuses Meta of making mendacious claims astir WhatsApp information protections. It alleges that the institution “stores, analyzes, and tin entree virtually each of WhatsApp users’ purportedly ‘private’ communications.”

WhatsApp caput Will Cathcart rejected these claims and said it is simply a “no-merit, headline-seeking lawsuit.”