The Chhattisgarh

Tag: whatsapp privacy

  • Why Meta-owned WhatsApp Bans Over 80 Lakh Indian Accounts?; Find Out Reason Here |

    WhatsApp Accounts Ban In India: Meta-owned WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging apps in India, with millions of users. However, its popularity has also attracted malicious activities and become a hub for bad actors including scammers who use the channel to exploit the app for fraudulent activities.   

    To keep the platform safe, WhatsApp has banned more than 80 lakh Indian accounts in a bold move to curb the escalating issue of online scams, safeguarding its platform from malicious activity. 

    Why WhatsApp Bans Over 80 Lakh Indian Accounts 

    Involvement in illegal activities: Accounts involved in activities that breach local laws are quickly identified, flagged, and deactivated by WhatsApp. 

    User complaints: When users report harassment, abuse, or inappropriate behaviour, WhatsApp thoroughly investigates and takes necessary action to address the issue.

    Violation of terms of service: From spamming and bulk messaging to scams and spreading misinformation, accounts engaging in these activities face swift action from WhatsApp.

    WhatsApp’s Latest Transparency Report 

    Meta-owned messaging platform banned 8,458,000 users in India during August 2024. The report, in compliance with Rule 4(1)(d) and Rule 3A(7) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, highlights WhatsApp’s heightened efforts to monitor and restrict accounts violating its policies or engaging in illegal activities under Indian law.

    From August 1 to August 31, WhatsApp blocked 8,458,000 Indian accounts, of which 1,661,000 were proactively banned. These accounts were flagged and actioned by WhatsApp’s automated systems, which detect suspicious activities like bulk messaging or unusual patterns, often indicative of scams or abuse, even before any user complaints were filed.

    In terms of user reports, WhatsApp received 10,707 complaints through its grievance mechanism in August 2024. Out of these, the platform took action on 93 complaints. These reports, submitted via email and postal channels directed to the India Grievance Officer, were categorized under ban appeals, account support, safety concerns, and other user-related issues. 

  • How To Hide Your Whatsapp DP From Specific Contacts; Follow THESE Simple Steps |

    WhatsApp Privacy: In the era of modern technology, privacy on WhatsApp has become a crucial factor for many people. With over 2 billion users globally, there are times when you might want to keep certain aspects of your profile private, including your profile photo.

    People may hide their WhatsApp profile picture (DP) for several reasons. These reasons include privacy concerns where you may not want certain people, like work colleagues or distant acquaintances, to see your photos.

    Moreover, another reason is limited interaction or other safety concerns where you feel that your WhatsApp profile picture may be misused. Some people also want to avoid unwanted attention, and hiding a profile picture may discourage further contact.

    WhatsApp offers several privacy features and has been refining several of them over time. Thankfully, WhatsApp allows users to control who sees their specific details and lets them hide their WhatsApp profile photos from individual contacts or everyone.

    How To Hide Your WhatsApp DP From Specific Contacts

    Step 1: Open the WhatsApp app on your phone.

    Step 2: Tap on the Settings tab in the bottom right corner of the screen.

    Step 3: Tap on Account, then select Privacy, and tap on Profile Photo.

    Step 4: Tap on My Contacts Except…

    Step 5: Choose any contacts you don’t want to see your WhatsApp profile photo by tapping on their names.

    Step 6: Tap on Done in the top right corner of the screen.

    How To Hide Your WhatsApp DP From Everyone

    Step 1: Open the WhatsApp app.

    Step 2: Tap on the Settings tab located in the bottom right corner.

    Step 3: Select the Privacy option.

    Step 4: Tap on Profile Picture.

    Step 5: Choose Nobody.

    Step 6: Tap on Done in the top right corner.

  • CEO Elon Musk Accuses WhatsApp, Claims Meta App Breaches Private User Data Every Night |

    New Delhi: Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has criticised Meta-owned WhatsApp for allegedly exporting users’ data every night. An X (formerly Twitter) user posted that WhatsApp exports user data nightly, which is “analysed and used for targeted advertising, making users the product, not the customer”.

    However, the Meta or WhatsApp are yet to comment on Musk’s allegation. Musk replied, “WhatsApp exports your user data every night”. “Some people still think it is secure,” said the tech billionaire. 

    WhatsApp exports your user data every night.

    Some people still think it is secure. https://t.co/LxDs7t7HSv


    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 25, 2024

    Computer programmer and video game developer, John Carmack, responded to Musk, saying is there any evidence that the content of messages is ever scanned or transmitted? “I assume usage patterns and routing metadata is collected, and if you invoke a bot in a conversation you are obviously opening it up, but I am still under the impression that the message contents are secure by default,” Carmack posted on X.

    Is there any evidence that the content of messages is ever scanned or transmitted? I assume usage patterns and routing metadata is collected, and if you invoke a bot in a conversation you are obviously opening it up, but I am still under the impression that the message contents…
    — John Carmack (@ID_AA_Carmack) May 25, 2024

    The X owner has attacked Mark Zuckerberg-run Meta Platform in the past too. Earlier this month, the billionaire claimed that Meta is super greedy at taking credit for advertisers who run campaigns on its platform.

    The rivalry between Musk and Zuckerberg is well known. They were apparently set for a “cage fight’ some time back – dubbed as the fight of the century. However, the showdown between the tech leaders never happened.

  • WhatsApp released new privacy feature! Your phone number will be hidden

    WhatsApp is reportedly introducing a new privacy feature for community members. It was earlier said that a new feature is being tested, which will allow users to hide their phone number while joining a community. The feature, called “Phone Number Privacy”, is reportedly available to all Android and iOS beta testers. With this, users can participate in conversations and react to messages while hiding their name and phone number from other members of the community. The Meta-owned instant messaging app has not officially revealed when it plans to make the phone number privacy feature live for all users. According to a report by WhatsApp feature tracker WABetainfo, WhatsApp has rolled out the feature for all Android and iOS betas. A phone number privacy feature has been released to the community for testers. It is being said that it is available for all Android and iOS beta testers on WhatsApp beta version 2.23.14.19 on Android and beta version 23.14.0.70 for iOS respectively. With the help of this feature, while joining a community, the user’s phone The number can be hidden from all other members. Currently, the list of community members in ‘Community Announcement Group Info’ is already hidden, but if a user joins the conversation via Reaction, their phone number is visible. The new phone number privacy feature will ensure that a user’s contact number is not visible to other members of the community, even when adding a reaction to a message. The report also includes a screenshot showing the phone number privacy feature for the community, allowing users to Find out what it might look like when it launches widely. This can be accessed from ‘Community Announcement Group Info’. When turning on this feature, WhatsApp alerts users that their number will be hidden from other participants except community admins and members who have already saved their contact numbers. This new privacy feature is only applicable for community members, as the community admin’s phone number is always visible. Users will also have the option to share it with specific community members as per their preference later. However, WhatsApp has not yet officially announced the rollout of the phone number privacy feature. This may change before final release. If you want to try out the new security features, you can download the latest build of WhatsApp from Google Play, Apple Store, and TestFlight app.