The controversy began when Meta issued a new privacy policy for WhatsApp. This privacy policy sparked significant debate, revealing alternatives like Telegram and Signal. However, WhatsApp's popularity remains unmatched compared to any other multimedia messaging app even today.
Questions about WhatsApp's security have always been raised. Meta claims that WhatsApp cannot be hacked, and its messages cannot be read because its chats are end-to-end encrypted. However, at times, Meta's claims have proven to be unsubstantiated.
Now, WhatsApp is taking its encryption a step further. For the first time, upon starting a chat, you receive a notification confirming that your chat is fully encrypted, meaning no one, not even WhatsApp, can see your messages.
A change is coming to this. After the new update, during chatting on WhatsApp, you will see whether your chat is encrypted or not next to the contact's name. WABetaInfo, tracking WhatsApp features, has provided this information. The new feature can be seen on WhatsApp's Android version 2.24.3.17
Yes, the privacy controversy around WhatsApp has been ongoing since 2021. It started when Meta introduced a new privacy policy for WhatsApp. Despite the debate and the emergence of alternatives like Telegram and Signal, WhatsApp's popularity remains significantly higher than any other multimedia messaging app.