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Updated December 7th, 2021 at 11:45 IST

Children charities criticise WhatsApp for plan to let messages disappear after 24 hours

Announcing default disappearing messages feature, WhatsApp informed in a blog post “There is a certain magic in just sitting down with someone personally."

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
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IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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After WhatsApp announced in a blog post that it will introduce a feature allowing messages to disappear automatically after 24 hours for its 2 billion users as a part of its mission to “connect the world privately,” the rights groups criticised the new changes labelling it detrimental for children. UK youngsters’ charity the Nationwide Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) condemned Meta, as it stressed that the decision was “poorly thought out” and would create a “poisonous cocktail of danger” once Meta’s plans to encrypt messaging on all its platforms including Facebook and Instagram.

Announcing the introduction of default disappearing messages feature, WhatsApp informed in a blog post: “There is a certain magic in just sitting down with someone personally, sharing your thoughts in confidence, knowing that you are both connecting privately and in that moment.” 

It added, “The freedom to be honest and vulnerable, knowing that the conversation will not be recorded and stored somewhere forever. The decision on how long a message lasts should be in your hands.” 

To activate the disappearing messages feature permanently, one could turn it on as default for all new individual chats by accessing the settings tab, tapping on the “account” option and then privacy, and then select the default message hours. While the existing chats will not be affected, the rights groups have expressed grave concerns about Zuckerberg’s encryption plans. 

“Offenders groom youngsters on open platforms like Instagram earlier than transferring them to WhatsApp for additional abuse the place there may be much less likelihood of detection,” Andy Burrows, head of kid security on-line coverage said on the NSPCC, according to The Guardian newspaper. “This ill-conceived design decision will allow offenders to quickly erase evidence of child abuse, making it even harder for law enforcement to target offenders and protect children,” he added.

Disappearing messages will make it harder to report child abuse: NSPCC

WhatsApp default disappearing messages and end-to-end encryption will make it harder for NGOs like the NSPCC to report child abuse instances to law enforcement as the platform will ensure that viewing messages are exchanged only between sender and recipient. The organisation also argued that such texts would not pass the risk assessment process in the UK online security law, which requires the social media platforms to provide information about risks to users to the communications regulator, Ofcom. 

Earlier in November Meta had made clear that the end-to-end encryption technology would be introduced no earlier than 2023. And Meta’s security chief, Antigone Davis, had argued in favour of the company’s decision saying that it would be possible to detect abuse despite messages encryption with the help of unencrypted data, account information, and user reports. Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg also defended WhatsApp’s decision, as he wrote on the Facebook page: “Not all messages need to stay on forever.”

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Published December 7th, 2021 at 11:45 IST

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