Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma recently warned that AI could read your conversations in WhatsApp group chats. He advised users to turn on the Advanced Chat Privacy feature. Meanwhile, WhatsApp clarified that Meta AI only accesses chats that the user shares themselves.
News Delhi: Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder of payment app Paytm, has alerted WhatsApp users by sharing a post on social media platform X. He says that AI technology included in group chats can access your private conversations. Following this warning, serious questions have been raised about users' privacy. Sharma not only pointed out the danger but also suggested a solution. He advised users to turn on the Advanced Chat Privacy feature to keep their chats secure. Meanwhile, WhatsApp has issued an official statement stating that privacy is completely secure.
Why did Vijay Shekhar Sharma issue the warning?
Vijay Shekhar Sharma explained in his post that while AI features may have been introduced on WhatsApp for the convenience of users, their use could threaten your privacy. He also said that WhatsApp group chats will not remain secure if precautions are not taken at the right time.
He shared a screenshot explaining that users should turn on the Advanced Chat Privacy setting. Taking this step will prevent AI from reading your chats or accessing their information.
What was WhatsApp's reply to the Paytm founder?
An official response has also been received from WhatsApp regarding the Paytm founder's warning. The company says that Meta AI only accesses information that the user shares themselves. WhatsApp also clarified that this feature is not turned on by default and only becomes active when a user mentions it in a chat.
At the same time, the company reiterated that all messages are end-to-end encrypted. This means that your messages are limited to only the sender and the recipient, and do not reach any third person or AI.
Why is the Advanced Chat Privacy feature necessary?
WhatsApp's Advanced Chat Privacy feature is designed to further strengthen the security of group chats. After turning on this setting, any member of the group:
- Will not be able to save media files on their device.
- Will not be able to use @Meta AI to create a summary of unread messages.
- Will also not be able to use the chat export option.
These changes further strengthen the privacy of WhatsApp group chats, helping users to use the platform without any worries.
