WhatsApp is working on a new feature that would increase user security by alerting users to potentially fraudulent or suspicious messages.
According to a report by WABetaInfo, the feature is called “Scam Alert” and has currently been seen in the beta version of WhatsApp. For messages from unidentified numbers or unsafe contacts, the functionality will offer further cautions, assisting users in determining whether to trust the message or exercise caution.
Suspicious messages won’t be instantly blocked by the Scam Alert feature. Rather, it will show warnings and details about potential risks in the chat. After that, users can choose to report the sender, block them, or carry on the conversation.
According to the report, this feature’s primary goal is to alert users to potential fraud attempts early on. WhatsApp claims that in order to maintain end-to-end encryption, suspicious messages will be examined on the user’s device and their content won’t be transmitted to the company’s servers.
It’s interesting to note that WhatsApp’s voice message transcription feature previously made use of comparable on-device technology. The company is also working on local activity logs, which may be used to store information on scam alerts.
For now, the feature will be optional and disabled by default, requiring users to enable it manually. Since it is still in the testing phase, no formal release date has been confirmed for all users.
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