WhatsApp users are receiving a fake news on the chat platform that claims a third blue tick will be rolled out soon where the third tick will a confirmation that a government representative has read your chats. Fortunately, this is a fake news and WhatsApp users shouldn’t be worried about as all chats on the platform are encrypted.
WhatsApp users are receiving a fake news on the chat platform that claims a third blue tick will be rolled out soon where the third tick will a confirmation that a government representative has read your chats. Fortunately, this is a fake news and WhatsApp users shouldn’t be worried about as all chats on the platform are encrypted.
WhatsApp is no doubt the most widely used instant messaging service not only in India but also globally. The app has over 200 million active monthly active users while there are over 1.5 billion monthly active users globally. The messaging platform that has almost replaced your standard text messages, however, is facing a tough time in India dealing with fake news or rumours that are making the rounds on the Internet.
The latest fake news on WhatsApp is that a third blue tick will be rolled out soon on the chat platform and will be proof of the government having read your chats. But now you can hear it from us: There is no such feature being implemented by WhatsApp and the news which is being spread is wrong.
Some media outlets are running a ‘How to spot the third blue tick’ on your WhatsApp chat but it’s a fake news and you shouldn’t believe. Your WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted which means no third-party can read your chats.
WhatsApp implemented end-to-end encryption long ago with an assurance that only you and the person you're chatting with can read what's sent on WhatsApp and nobody else (not even WhatsApp) is able to access it.
Lately, WhatsApp has taken serious note of the possibility of fake news being spread on its platform and has started labelling messages that are ‘forwarded.’ The company last week announced a new feature that’s being tested in India which will limit message forwards to five chats in India at once. These are some of the features from WhatsApp to oust (or at least limit) the spread of fake news on the platform.
"Your messages are secured with locks, and only the recipient and you have the special keys needed to unlock and read your messages. For added protection, every message you send has a unique lock and key. All of this happens automatically: No need to turn on settings or set up special secret chats to secure your messages," the chat platform clearly explains this in its FAQ page.
How to verify that your chat is end-to-end encrypted:
"Privacy and security is in our DNA, which is why we have end-to-end encryption. When end-to-end encrypted, your messages, photos, videos, voice messages, documents, status updates and calls are secured from falling into the wrong hands," further adds WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is no doubt the most widely used instant messaging service not only in India but also globally. The app has over 200 million active monthly active users while there are over 1.5 billion monthly active users globally. The messaging platform that has almost replaced your standard text messages, however, is facing a tough time in India dealing with fake news or rumours that are making the rounds on the Internet.
The latest fake news on WhatsApp is that a third blue tick will be rolled out soon on the chat platform and will be proof of the government having read your chats. But now you can hear it from us: There is no such feature being implemented by WhatsApp and the news which is being spread is wrong.
Some media outlets are running a ‘How to spot the third blue tick’ on your WhatsApp chat but it’s a fake news and you shouldn’t believe. Your WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted which means no third-party can read your chats.
WhatsApp implemented end-to-end encryption long ago with an assurance that only you and the person you're chatting with can read what's sent on WhatsApp and nobody else (not even WhatsApp) is able to access it.
Lately, WhatsApp has taken serious note of the possibility of fake news being spread on its platform and has started labelling messages that are ‘forwarded.’ The company last week announced a new feature that’s being tested in India which will limit message forwards to five chats in India at once. These are some of the features from WhatsApp to oust (or at least limit) the spread of fake news on the platform.
"Your messages are secured with locks, and only the recipient and you have the special keys needed to unlock and read your messages. For added protection, every message you send has a unique lock and key. All of this happens automatically: No need to turn on settings or set up special secret chats to secure your messages," the chat platform clearly explains this in its FAQ page.
How to verify that your chat is end-to-end encrypted:
Step 1 - Open your chat with any contact
Step 2 - Tap on the name of the contact to open the contact info screen
Step 3 - Tap encryption to view the QR code and 60-digit number
Step 4 - If you and your contact are physically next to each other, you can scan the other's QR code or visually compare the 60-digit number.
Step 5 - If you can scan the QR code, and the code is indeed the same, a green check mark will appear which is a proof of encryption working perfectly fine.
Step 6 - This way you can be sure no one is intercepting your messages or calls.
"Privacy and security is in our DNA, which is why we have end-to-end encryption. When end-to-end encrypted, your messages, photos, videos, voice messages, documents, status updates and calls are secured from falling into the wrong hands," further adds WhatsApp.