WhatsApp Launches Strict Account Settings for Public Figures

WhatsApp announced today the upcoming rollout of Strict Account Settings, a new option to enable the most restrictive security settings on the messaging app. The feature is intended for public-facing figures and people who may be the target of cyber threats, but it will be available for all users.

While WhatsApp already offers end-to-end encryption for all chat conversations and phone calls, the team believes that may not be enough to protect users from sophisticated cyber attacks. “This lockdown style feature bolsters your security on WhatsApp even further with just a few taps by locking your account to the most restrictive settings like automatically blocking attachments and media from unknown senders, silencing calls from people you don’t know, and restricting other settings that may limit how the app works,” the team explained.

To be clear, people who really care about security and privacy should probably use Signal, which is open-source and doesn’t collect data about your contacts, your activity, and more. However, WhatsApp has more than 3 billion monthly active users around the world, and it’s just hard to avoid.

Strict Account Settings in WhatsApp will start rolling out in the coming weeks, and they will be available by going to Settings > Privacy > Advanced. Today, the team also announced that it recently adopted the Rust programming language to “ help keep your photos, videos, and messages safe from things like spyware. You can learn more about the impact of Rust on WhatsApp’s security in this separate blog post.