WhatsApp is boosting platform security with a new Safety Overview feature for groups. The feature is now rolling out to all users. Besides, the app has also banned lakhs of accounts linked to scam centres.
Meta announced in its Newsroom post that WhatsApp has banned over 68 lakh scam-linked accounts and rolled out a new feature called Safety Overview. This feature appears when an unknown user adds someone to a group. It then shows the group information and a few safety tips, while giving users an option to exit the group right below.
This information includes info about the person who added the user, total member count, creator of the group and date of creation. Users can also tap “See chat” to view the conversation for more context.
The firm has also confirmed that it's working on ways to protect users, where it will caution users when starting a chat with someone not in their contacts by showing additional context. Meta also stated in the post that it's closely working with OpenAI to protect users, and recently disrupted scam efforts in Cambodia.
The firm further states that these scams ranged from offering payments for fake likes to enlisting others into a rent-a-scooter pyramid scheme that involved Telegram, where the users were assigned tasks of liking videos on TikTok. We've seen a fair share of similar scams in the subcontinent, duping thousands of users into spending and losing lakhs of rupees.
Lastly, the platform also shared a few steps to avoid getting scammed. Meta suggests stopping, questioning the request and verifying the person before interacting with them. With the rise in scams around the world, it's great to see big tech taking a stance to tackle these issues. And with AI taking centre stage, scams will likely get easier to spot in the future, helping users stay safer online.
