FACEBOOK Messenger has just received a major update – but it comes with a warning.
The tech giant will push alerts to the popular chat app when your privacy may have been compromised.
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Yesterday Facebook Mark Zuckerberg announced that all Messenger chats can be encrypted.
But there’s a new warning for anyone sending Disappearing Messages.
If you send texts that vanish automatically, you’ll be alerted if a recipient takes a screenshot.
This is to let you know that the recipient has a copy stored of the message, which will exist after the original text has been deleted.
It’s an important warning that you should look out for whenever you’re sending Disappearing Messages.
Otherwise you Disappearing Messages could give you a false sense of security.
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“New update for end-to-end encrypted Messenger chats so you get a notification if someone screenshots a disappearing message,” said Zuckerberg in a Facebook post.
“We’re also adding GIFs, stickers, and reactions to encrypted chats too.”
Disappearing messages are a great way to protect yourself online.
But as Facebook’s warning proves, vanishing texts aren’t without fault.
If you’re at all worried about a message being screenshotted, consider whether sending it is actually a good idea.
There may be a better way to share the sentiment, like through a real-life conversation if possible.
To get the new feature, make sure you’ve updated to the latest version of Facebook.
You can do this by checking the App Store on iPhone or the Google Play Store on Android.
Facebook parent company Meta recently added Disappearing Messages to WhatsApp.
The rival chat app has a similar problem of messages being screenshotted.
But Meta has yet to include screenshot warnings on WhatsApp chats.
It’s possible – but not confirmed – that such a feature could come in a future update.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
