Hardik Tokas
Unless you actively modify your account settings, WhatsApp’s hidden update allows anybody to invite you to groups by default. WhatsApp is said to have introduced a hidden update that encourages users to review their privacy settings. In recent years, the messaging platform has been criticized for its lack of concern for user security. The new WhatsApp version changes group settings to default to “everyone,” implying that individuals you don’t know can invite you to a group without your knowledge. Find out more about the latest WhatsApp upgrade.
Mobberley NW, a Twitter user, was the first to notice the hidden update, and she created a post detailing how to modify the default WhatsApp settings. He said in his tweet that this upgrade might boost fraudulent communications and loan sharks, as well as jeopardize WhatsApp security. Forbes, on the other hand, claims that this upgrade has been on the platform since 2019. WhatsApp said the “dangerous” setting change was two years overdue in a statement to Forbes.
WhatsApp has recently changed its group settings to include “everyone” by default so people you don’t know can add you to a group without your knowing. These people may include scam messages, loan Sharks, etc. You can change its default settings as follows: #mobberley #knutsford pic.twitter.com/xzqpeJmHeD
— Mobberley NW (@MobberleyNw) May 18, 2021
Here’s how you change your WhatsApp settings –
- Enter the WhatsApp application and open the ‘slide-down menu’ with three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
- Go to Settings>Account>Privacy
- A clickable link called ‘Groups’ will be present on the privacy page. You will see that indeed ‘Everyone’ can add you to groups as the platform has that check-marked by default.
- Change settings to ‘My contacts’ or ‘My contacts, except’ and click on done.
WhatsApp has filed a suit with the Delhi High Court, contesting the Centre’s latest laws for social media intermediaries, which require message tractability. According to reports, the Facebook-owned messaging app submitted the petition on May 25, the deadline for complying with the standards. It has contended that the traceability clause violates the basic right to privacy, citing the Supreme Court’s decision in the 2017 Justice K S Puttaswamy (Retd.) versus Union of India case.
