At WhatsApp, we believe you should be able to have private online conversations, just as you would in a face-to-face chat. We will always champion this right to privacy for everyone, starting with making end-to-end encryption the default feature. But we also know that some of our users—such as journalists or public figures—may need enhanced protection against rare and highly sophisticated cyberattacks.
For this reason, today we are announcing a new feature called Strict Account Settings.
If you enable this feature, someaccount settings will be locked to the most restrictive settings, limiting how WhatsApp works in certain ways, such as blocking attachments and media from people who aren't in your contacts. You can enable these strict account settings—which will be rolled out gradually over the coming weeks—by going to Settings > Privacy > Advanced.
Our strict account settings are just one of the many ways we protect you from the most sophisticated cyber threats. Behind the scenes, we've also developed a programming language called Rust to help protect your photos, videos, and messages from spyware and similar threats, so you can share and chat with confidence. Learn more about this technology.