WhatsApp rolls out ‘view once’ messages
August 4, 2021
Social media messaging app WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that allows users to have photos or videos vanish after they are viewed.
After the recipient opens the image for the first time, “view once” deletes it, without saving it to a phone. WhatsApp said the feature was aimed at “giving users even more control over their privacy”.
However, the UK government is facing a legal challenge over the use of “self-destructing messages” on encrypted-messaging apps. Transparency campaigners say it eliminates accountability and the public record.
“Not everything we share needs to become a permanent digital record,” WhatsApp said.”On many phones, simply taking a photo means it will take up space in your camera roll forever.”
Users will know a message is ‘view once’ because the preview will be hidden and a large number ‘1’ icon displayed instead.