WhatsApp’s Privacy Playbook: 8 Must-Use Security Settings Before Your Messages Become a Ghost Story

Your WhatsApp messages could vanish like smoke in 24 hours—or end up in someone else’s hands via a browser trap. Here’s how to lock down the world’s most popular messaging app before it locks you out.

Ellie Heatrick said:

We continue to lead the industry in meaningful innovations that protect people’s messages and calls... we sweat the details to protect what matters most: The ability to communicate privately and securely.

A December 2023 exploit known as GhostPairing lets attackers hijack accounts by tricking users into linking malicious browsers. Meanwhile, Austrian researchers revealed in November 2023 that billions of WhatsApp phone numbers were exposed through a contact discovery tool. Despite these vulnerabilities, end-to-end encryption remains the app’s core security layer.

WhatsApp offers eight privacy features: Privacy Checkup, Disappearing Messages, Two-Factor Authentication, App Lock/Chat Lock, Advanced Security Settings, Advanced Chat Privacy, Read Receipts toggle, and Media Download control.

Disappearing Messages require user trust since screenshots remain possible. Passkey-encrypted backups and privacy-enhanced AI are now available.

WhatsApp’s automatic media downloads prioritize convenience over privacy, leaving users exposed if they don’t manually disable this feature.