WhatsApp recently confirmed that it was rolling out its “Strict Account Settings,” a new high-security mode designed to protect users against rare and highly sophisticated cyber threats. The feature is aimed at individuals who may be high-value targets for digital surveillance, such as journalists, activists, and public figures.
While WhatsApp does provide end-to-end encryption by default for all users, the platform says that this new layer of defense offers extreme safeguards for higher-risk users. Once enabled, Strict Account Settings automatically shifts the app into its most restrictive state to minimize potential points of attack. This includes blocking all media and file attachments from unknown senders and silencing calls from numbers not saved in a user’s contacts.
Additionally, the feature disables link previews to prevent third parties from accessing a user’s IP address and restricts group invitations so that only saved contacts can add the user to new chats. WhatsApp also says that it’s pushed forward with the rollout of the Rust programming language for its media-sharing libraries, which eliminates memory-safety vulnerabilities that are often exploited by spyware.
The new Strict Account Settings will arrive globally for users over the coming weeks, and can be accessed by navigating to Settings, selecting Privacy, and then tapping Advanced.
