Worried About Meta AI? WhatsApp’s New Privacy Tool Has You Covered
The feature makes sure the AI can’t sneak a peek at your messages in a particular conversation.
If you've just started to spot a tiny blue circle in your WhatsApp conversations, you're not alone. That’s Meta AI, a new assistant quietly introduced into the app. While the intention is good, many users are not happy, primarily due to the fact it cannot be removed.
The good news is that WhatsApp has added a new privacy feature that gives you a bit more control. With a setting called ‘Advanced Chat Privacy,’ you can now prevent Meta AI from accessing individual chats in Messenger. This doesn’t remove the AI icon, but instead stops the assistant from discussing specific conversations.
When this setting is switched on for a chat, it does the following:
Blocks the AI from reading messages in that chat.
Stops media from auto-downloading.
Prevents the chat from being exported.
Basically, it makes sure the AI can’t sneak a peek at your messages in that particular conversation.
This update seems like a small part of the big story. WhatsApp says that this update is a part of its ongoing effort to give its users some more privacy options. This move is widely seen as a step to ensure that the platform maintains its longstanding commitment to messaging that stays secure, end-to-end encrypted.
Meta AI clarified that its parent company, Meta, does not read users' messages, and only a small amount of data is used in working with Meta AI. However, they recommend not sharing sensitive or personal information with the assistant just to be on the safe side.
The new privacy feature is already rolling out. If you’ve got the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your phone, you can go into your chat settings and turn it on for any conversation you want to remain AI-free.
So, while the blue dot may not be going anywhere, at least you now have the option to keep it from joining your private conversations.
