AfriPulse
WhatsApp don announce say dem go let people chat without showing their phone number. Instead, users go fit use unique username to connect.
Di feature go roll out globally to di platform wey get three billion account holders over di next few months. From Monday, users go fit start to reserve a name via di app, but e no go be compulsory.
Di firm say people go fit remove or change their usernames anytime. Once e fully activate, WhatsApp users go fit connect after exchanging usernames only. Still go get options to block or report unwanted messages.
Names go dey limited to 35 characters and few restrictions dey, except for some high profile officials and celebrities wey dem no go make their names available to anyone else. So e no likely say WhatsApp go overrun with users wey dey call themselves Donald Trump, for example.
Di Meta-owned firm describe usernames as a privacy feature. Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp head of product, say she don hear from users say dem no always want to share their phone numbers to contact others, especially for group chats. She hope di feature go give users control over how dem choose to show up on di app.
Di secure messaging app Signal don introduce identical service for 2024. Carisa Veliz, professor at Oxford University and author of Privacy is Power, say di feature dey good, but even if e offer more privacy, remember say WhatsApp no be privacy-friendly app overall. E collect plenty metadata about users for marketing purposes. We get to remember say WhatsApp dey owned by Meta, one of di tech companies with di worst track records when e come to privacy.
WhatsApp no dey use content of private chats for advertising. Those dey protected by end-to-end encryption, meaning di firm no fit read di contents of messages. But e dey use data like who you message and when to support advertising.
Once di feature fully roll out, individual phone numbers no go dey visible on WhatsApp. No public username directory go dey, and phone numbers still go dey required to get WhatsApp account for di first place. Di minimum age for using di platform na 13, and messaging apps no go dey included for UK upcoming social media ban for under 16 year olds, due to dey implemented next year.
Recently WhatsApp announce say Kunal Shah, founder of Indian fintech start-up, go take over as head of di platform, with Will Cathcart stepping down after seven years for di role.
Source: NNN.ng | Read the Full Story…
