<\/p>\n
Meta on Tuesday announced a new privacy feature called Strict Account Settings to protect users with \u201cextreme safeguards against rare and highly sophisticated cyber attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In a blog post, the company, while talking about its new feature, said, \u201cWe also know that a few of our users \u2013 like journalists or public-facing figures \u2013 may need extreme safeguards against rare and highly sophisticated cyber attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
WhatsApp says that Strict Account Settings is a set of \u201cextreme protections\u201d and should only be used if the user believes they are at risk of a cyberattack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The feature enables lockdown-like settings on WhatsApp<\/a> by limiting the way in which the personal messaging app works. For instance, attachments and media from people not in your contacts will be blocked, while link previews will be disabled. WhatsApp will also limit who can call you or add you to a group.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In its description for the feature, WhatsApp warns, \u201cMost people do not need this level of protection. This will reduce the quality of your messaging experience and calls.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Meta also today announced that it is using the Rust programming language in order to keep users\u2019 photos, videos and messages safe from spyware.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Notably, Meta<\/a> is not the first company to introduce such a privacy-focused feature for protecting vulnerable users. Apple had introduced a similar \u201cLockdown Mode\u201d feature in 2022, which the company describes as \u201coptional, extreme protection that\u2019s designed for the very few individuals who, because of who they are or what they do, might be personally targeted by some of the most sophisticated digital threats.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The feature turns off message attachments and link previews while blocking FaceTime<\/a> calls from unknown contacts and \u201ccertain complex web technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n